By Pam Hadder
ETHOS: "...the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in the attempt to persuade an audience...the natural disposition or moral character, an abiding quality..." - Dictionary.com
A week or so ago, I was at the gym, getting warmed up for my latest lesson in physical humiliation. The radio was on, and the DJ was polling the audience - they were asking what the most popular female response was to the question "If you could have any super power, what would it be?" The "correct" answer was mind reading, and it was guessed almost immediately by a fast-dialing young listener (maybe she already had the gift?).
Don't know about you, but if I could have some sort of super ability, I would want something a bit more action-oriented - how about unlimited speed, amazing physical strength, or the ability to fly? Maybe I was just thinking about my own inadequacies: working out = humiliation!
Too frequently, I find myself a bit overwhelmed with a high volume of incoming information. I can't imagine having even one other person's cerebral clutter mixed into my own - no thanks.
Whatever your super power of choice would be, it all sounds pretty cool until you really think it through. But when you're zipping through the air like a comet, how will those thousands of insects (and birds, OMG!) feel hitting your body? Even if you wore a protective suit and helmet, you'd have to stop and clean the gunk off it every so often...major league ick and eeeew!
Everything we do elicits a complex array of additional actions and responses. Whether or not we choose to think about it, both physical laws and personal accountability are part of the evolving equation we know as daily life. Reaction goes way beyond the cause and effect thinking of Newton's third law of motion - even a simple decision can trigger a huge chain of events, some intended and some unintended. Don't believe it? Think Twitter or YouTube.
More recently, I came across the term ethonomics in an online article about marketing trends. The term was used to describe the factoring of social responsibility into traditional economic principles - that is, the systems and management by which we buy and sell; and distribute goods and services. Noble thoughts within a viable vision, or just another enterprising type seeking notoriety? I was curious, hopeful, and cynical all at once.
I thought back to the super power question and the resulting reality check imposed by accountability. If we address the market from a platform of social responsibility, will the fallout be similar to current green initiatives? Dig beneath the surface of many eco-friendly programs and products and you will find limited real benefit to the environment and a mother lode of consumer spin. Too often, companies get on the green bandwagon simply to appease a market segment that is too large to ignore, but too small to require in-depth restructuring.
My inner idealist still dares to come out and play amid naysayers and fiscal restraint, and it wonders "what if"? WHAT IF ethonomics were to really take root and burgeon? The end result might be a planet where resources and their ensuing profits are fully shared in respect of the environment, human needs, and established cultures. Humanity, with each individual's essential needs met, would be more likely to exist and thrive in harmony.
We don't have super powers, but we each have the ability to make hundreds of choices a day that make an impact. Even if we abstain, hide, duck the question, or use other evasive tactics, our inaction in itself causes a reaction.
