The Author’s Main Point/What He Wants the Reader to Understand
In the video, Simon Sinek says that humans should always ask or focus on the “why” to understand the reasons behind certain things or phenomena around them. In the tech industry, for instance, there are many companies; however, some of them such as Apple is always outstanding. Thus, the question people should ask is “Why is Apple so successful or innovative?” Sinek explores the concepts of “why,” “how,” and “what.” In his explanation of the three concepts, he states that many organizations around the world know “what” they do with several others knowing “how” they do or carry out their operations. However, several people and organizations do not know or understand “why” they do what they do.
Sinek states that the “why” concept refers to the purpose of doing something. Inspired leaders and organizations focus more on the “why” than the “what” or “how.” In the marketplace, people usually buy or focus more on why a company or organization does something rather than what or how they do it. The author’s point is that humans should interact with people with who they share certain beliefs with. This implies that success is likely if a person works hand in hand with other people who believe what he or she believes (Gregorio). Individuals should be driven by belief rather than the results or outcomes. People who start with “why” can inspire people around them or find others who inspire them.
The Nature of the Universe
People have come up with various theories about the nature of the universe. Most of these theories tend to answer the questions lingering on people’s minds such as what nature is and why nature exists as it is. The nature of the universe is about every aspect in it including how planets and other heavenly bodies move as well as the interaction among particles within it. Nature has a huge influence on life including the behavior and evolution of plants and animals. It also governs or influences the behavior of humans and society. Humans are the way they are because of nature. In other words, everything that happens today is because of nature. From these perspectives, the question of what the nature of the universe is can be answered. In essence, the nature of the universe is all about the physical world and a degree of abstraction. The physical world points at space and time and all contents that include planets, galaxies, stars, and every other form of matter and energy. There is also the abstract component of the universe, which is the abstract mental interpretations of the physical world itself. The abstract component is important because of humans’ ideas, thought, or conditions that the world that they think is not the world they see (Gregorio).
The Nature of Humans
Human nature is a combination of both materialism and idealism. Materialism, as a philosophy, prioritizes and gives position to matter rather than spirit. Materialists keep spirit as secondary. According to the materialist philosophy, the human nature is fully dependent on matter and that it is majorly material that makes up the human body. This philosophy holds that humans and other creatures are qualitatively similar. It also rejects the notion that humans are composed of both material and immaterial souls. On the other hand, idealism holds that human nature is majorly mental, mentally constructed, and immaterial. Idealists argue that consciousness is a prerequisite, origin, or material phenomena emphasized by materialists. Based on the arguments of the two philosophies, human nature is a combination of both the material body and the conscious mind. Both the biological components and mind or soul work hand in hand to enable normal human functioning or operation. From this idea, a conclusion can be made that humans are both instinct-driven and intellect-driven beings.
Sinek highlights some of these ideas in his talk. He argues that humans are mainly about their consciousness, which revolves around the human brain. In the video, Sinek states that the human brain has three major components; the Homosapien brain, the neocortex, and the limbic brain. All the three elements are responsible for humans’ rational decision-making, human behavior, and how they interact with others around them and the community (Gregorio).
What Humans Must Do to Be Happy
With these perspectives in mind, humans must satisfy both material and mind needs to achieve happiness. Satisfaction of material needs requires focusing on the material or physical aspect of the human body through staying healthy and physically active. Meeting material needs also requires treating oneself to the material needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Satisfaction of the various levels of personal consciousness would also contribute to human happiness. There are seven levels of personal consciousness, which from bottom to top include service, making a difference, internal cohesion, transformation, self-esteem, relationship, and survival.
In the video, Sinek argues that given the nature of humans that is determined majorly by belief, happiness can be achieved when humans interact with people who share a similar belief (Gregorio). In the job context, humans must hire those who believe what they believe. Humans must also focus on the “why” to be happy. One of the questions humans should usually ask themselves is “Why do I have to interact with this person and not the other?” Humans can also ask themselves “Why they have to choose one thing over another?” These questions revolve around the idea of belief that ultimately contributes to human happiness.
Works Cited
Gregorio, Jay. “Start with Why Simon Sinek TED Talk.” YouTube, YouTube, 10 Oct. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=kOC4xcCxnzg.