Diversity | Fusion | Synergy | Serendipity

It’s Time for a Soul Search

It is never a bad time to stop and reflect on our core values

Change can be difficult, even when it is good change. Any organization or collection of like-minded people that grows rapidly experiences change as the group grows.

The ILLUMINATION Publication on Medium has experienced that phenomenon since inception, change and growth has been a daily event. That has been good, as the vision of the publication has been to be in the top 10 publications on Medium within 12 months.

You simply cannot get to that point, and in that time frame, without rapid growth.

So, as a matter of simply fulfilling its goals, the publication is going to be subject to many growing pains along the way. And there will be many more to come.

One of the growing pains is the way the “feeling” of the publication changes for those that are regular readers and contributors. The way it felt to submit an article, or the sense of <whatever> (you fill in your emotion or takeaway) that one got reading the content in the beginning, or even just a month ago, is different that it feels today.

These things are going to happen.

There is plenty of action going on behind the scenes as Dr Mehmet Yildiz maneuvers to find an editorial crew that can handle the workload of publishing hundreds of stories each day. And those of us on the editorial staff (all volunteers — it never hurts to remind) are offering our best perspectives and advice to Dr. Yildiz to assist him in fulfilling the mission of the publication.

Recently, as the result of a wisely offered prompt by B. A. Cumberlidge., I wrote an article asking folks to offer some constructive criticism for the publication. What could we do better?

There were several pieces of tangible advice; but then also, a longer and well thought out comment from a very experienced Medium writer that has been with ILLUMINATION from the beginning.

She was motivated to write after having a negative discourse with another writer on the publication. She wondered aloud whether, in all the growth and with all of the day-to-day distractions of spinning many plates, the publication might be forgetting some of our basic values?

In my opinion, this is always a fair question.

She pointed out that if we lose or lessen our collective standards of engagement with one another, that we begin to lose the “why” of the publication. And, like her, and I suspect many of you, the “why” of ILLUMINATION is the reason we chose to jump in in the first place and will always be the reason we stay.

If we lose our “why”, we lose our reason for being, and will simply cease to be. Because at that point, most of us will be gone.

So, with that well-timed nudge, I would like to revisit for a few moments our values at ILLUMINATION. There are four primary values: Diversity, Fusion, Synergy and Serendipity.

Diversity

Diversity has a wide scope. It includes diversity of culture, race, gender, sexual preference, religion, beliefs, and probably most importantly, thought.

Diversity, at its best, invites conflicting viewpoints. That means by definition we are never going to be in complete agreement on just about anything. However, diversity also invites polite discourse. Acknowledgment of differences, discussion that enhances and informs, not dialogue that destroys or condescends.

Because ILLUMINATION values diversity, conflicting ideas have a place to exist but do so in an environment where we always respect the owners of those conflicting viewpoints while not always needing to agree with their perspective.

Hate speech, disrespect, condescension and character attacks aren’t characteristics of diversity. Those are the tools of discrimination, diversity’s sworn foe, and they have no place at all at ILLUMINATION.

Fusion

Fusion is the place where the components of diversity get traction and form into bigger concepts than can be achieved in homogenous setting. Fusion is being exposed a viewpoint so radical and different from yours that it changes your entire paradigm of thinking and creates brand new avenues of ideas.

Fusion is a by-product of diversity and occurs when two or more objects or ideas combine to form something bigger collectively. Fusion is most certainly not when one object destroys another object and takes over their space. That is destruction; the opposite of fusion.

Knocking others down to get a better position for ourselves has no place at ILLUMINATION and is completely contrary to our values.

Synergy

Synergy is fusion on steroids. While fusion brings things together to form a joint object or concept that is the sum of the parts, synergy is when the resulting creation is much greater than even the sum of the parts.

Again, no place here for destruction and condescension. Synergy is created through cooperation, fusion and embracing our diversity of thought and ideas.

Serendipity

In its simplest rendition, serendipity is a happy accident. Some sort of fortunate stroke of luck that befalls someone. But, with reference to ILLUMINATION, I think serendipity comes more out of the collective positive energy given to one other.

When you put positive energy out to the universe, it is returned in sometimes unexpected ways and in greater quantity and quality than you put out. Just like we can make our own luck, so do we make our own serendipity.

Conclusion

Things will never be like they were in the past in any changing group; ILLUMINATION is no different. However, the feeling we take away from our engagement with the publication can largely stay the same.

The feeling of inclusion, being motivated, the boost of positive energy and inspiration we get from being writers and readers at ILLUMINATION will exist perpetually; as long as we remember and remain true to our core values.

Our core values are intentionally chosen. They represent positive energy and inclusion and are our defense against discrimination, discord and hate.

Any time any of us are faced with a decision about how to act or speak, all we need do is ask ourselves whether that action supports the values of the publication? As long as the answer continues to be yes, we stay true to our collective “why” and ILLUMINATION will continue to be an amazing place to engage and interact.

Thank you for taking the time to read and focus on our core values for a few moments today.

For additional information, here is our “Roadmap for Writers”:

If you like this, you might like some of my other recent writing, including my July daily roundup of writing challenges:

And a recent poetic response to a prior challenge:

And another more spontaneous poem:

Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.