The Unseen Solution: How Self-Awareness Can Transform Society

In the ’60s, Jackie DeShannon and Dionne Warwick sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”

Maybe they aren’t wrong in 2024. I think genuine, God-ordained love is still a rare commodity; however, what I believe the world needs a whole lot more of is a different kind of love. A self-aware, self-love.

The world needs a whole lot more self-awareness.

As a woman who talks with women from all walks of life and cultures, I’ve noticed that most of us lose ourselves and secretly cry inside to get us back. We look in the mirror every single day and have no idea who the woman truly staring back at us is. We know the woman we carefully (or not so carefully) cultivated to fit the needs of others around us or to guard ourselves against the brutal realities of life and humanity. Instead of nurturing the girl and woman that lives within ourselves, we avoid them while further abusing them because we don’t recognize their value.

If you’re paying attention to what’s going on around us, surely a lack of self-awareness is not only a “woman” issue. Look at the “men” who run our world, politicize our lives, and gatekeep our entertainment and voices. A lack of self-awareness is an epidemic. It’s the norm. And yet, the self-help, self-improvement industry has been booming for decades now. Make it make sense.

In my authentic nature, I seek to be a solution-finder. How can this lack of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and inward value problem become fixable?

Just like any great movement, it starts with one person at a time.

Because I am American, let’s start in America. If we prioritized the skills and tools that truly mattered in life instead of memorizing facts and figures and creating robotic life replications of societal expectations, we would see a world that is more compassionate, understanding, and efficient.

Placing a greater emphasis on everyone becoming more self-aware could make the world a better place by:

Improving Relationships! When people are more self-aware, they understand their emotions, thoughts, reactions, and responses much better. This understanding can lead to improved communication and empathy with others as people are more likely to recognize and respect differences in perspectives, feel seen and heard, and lead to healthier, more supportive — less dysfunctional, and toxic — relationships.

Surely the divorce rate, which has skyrocketed over the last decade, would drop significantly. Not just because people stay together, but also because they never marry. Imagine that we all pay attention before making major decisions, like marriage and reproduction.

Effective Conflict Resolution! When people are self-aware, they can identify the root causes of their conflicts and communicate with them more effectively. Less long-term conflict and polarization and more understanding and constructive solutions would lessen the hostility among differences in personal, professional, and global relationships.

Sounds very “Kumbaya,” doesn’t it? If we were more inclined to be better humans than more powerful humans, it wouldn’t seem so far-fetched!

Reduced Prejudice, Racism, & Increased Tolerance! Self-aware individuals prioritize their emotional intelligence and their personal growth because they can see where they are weak and flawed. Instead of ignoring the flaws and brokenness, they would embrace them and seek to heal and equip themselves. When there is a pursuit of inner healing, people are willing to examine their own biases and prejudices. By understanding why they think and believe what they do, their attitudes are challenged from the inside out, leading to a more open-minded and diverse community.

The point of DEI training is to wake people up to themselves, not to shove an agenda down our throats.

Sustainable Environmental Practices! When people are more self-aware, they are also more aware of their impact on not just society but the environment. Making a mental and emotional connection between one’s life and existence and the world around them could lead to a more thoughtful person who chooses to make sustainable choices for the well-being of the planet and the people who inhabit it.

Again, this isn’t an agenda only, this is a very real problem that will affect us in our old age and our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.

Economic Efficiency! In the workplace and marketplace, self-aware people and leaders are more likely to work efficiently and harmoniously, and therefore, improve the lives of others. Happy people engage more in their work. Happy people are more hopeful about their impact. Happy people at work equal a greater bottom line. Less red and more black.

We blame our leaders for our economy. Yes, their self-awareness could lead to a greater push to consider those at the bottom of society who are most affected by their economic decisions. This is also to us in the lower portions who could become more self-aware of how we consume.

Healthier, Happier Coping Mechanisms! Self-aware people are more likely to recognize when they are stressed, triggered, or facing mental/behavioral health challenges and seek healthy coping mechanisms. Less substance abuse, violence, and other harmful behaviors to self and others would be reduced, contributing to a healthier society.

I agree this seems like a utopian society that could never be because humanity is, in fact, humanity. We are a flawed species. Without acknowledging our help from God and our responsibilities to heal and grow from within, we will continue to be super flawed and replicate this flawed existence for generations to come.

My point: start with yourself.

Be encouraged. Be empowered. Be happy. And most importantly, be unapologetically you.