Regenerative Humans
In May of this year, together with Rodrigo and Mariana, we organized a first international ReHumans event in New York, where 27 leaders from different countries convened in Manhattan to rethink the world.
The gathering was a success.
You might be wondering, what’s the meaning of Rehuman?
Better still what does it mean to be a Rehuman?
I believe it is important to dive to the root of the name, to its genesis, to the day the term was coined.
Let us go back to September 2018. I went to Connecticut to meet someone I admire very much but had never met in person.
His name, John Fullerton.
I had been following him for a long time through his publications in the Internet.
John had been a Senior Director of JP Morgan for 20 years, and former head of the international derivatives department of this bank.
Like me, John took a dramatic decision of change in his life.
Like me, he had also been a wolf of Wall Street, a financial predator.
Like me, His purpose in life was an internal rate of return.
A force that converted everything into money:
Natural resources,
time,
relationships,
and friends.
After leaving JP Morgan, John, created The Capital Institute, and from there gave birth to two innovative theories: The theory of regenerative capitalism and the theory of regenerative finance.
It was his dramatic change in life purpose that gave me courage, and impulse, to deepen my own transformation and seek my own transition.
Once in Connecticut, sitting across him in his office, I didn’t know much what to say. But suddenly, after an initial and polite exchange, it occurred to me that I could offer act as a bridge and share his regenerative ideas in Brazil.
Brazil is an incredible melting pot, avid for evolution and a favorable place to sow his ideas. In my opinion, the best portal for entry was the project of Rodrigo, Humanos de Negocios.
So I tried to translate the phrase “Humanos de Negocios” into English, which works well in Spanish and Portuguese, but the translation as “Business Humans” does not have the same meaning as it does not really capture the concept.
John kept silent, then thought for a moment and pointing his finger at me, he said “Regenerative Humans”.
Regenerative human!
The concept imprinted in my mind with a blast.
At that moment it was as if he had drawn a sword and named me Knight of a wonderful order.
Sir ReGenerative.
A regenerator !!
From that moment on, the concept of Regeneration began to grow in my mind like a meme.
Regenerate as a purpose,
Regenerate as a force with infinite possibilities and dimensions.
Regenerate myself, regenerate my being.
Regenerate me, towards the most genuine version of me.
Regenerate My surroundings.
Regenerate our logic. Our way of thinking.
Regenerate the structures of the current paradigm.
Ah !!! I know…….. what a challenge.
But … what if it were possible
Even if it were impossible, it is indispensable
so… where to start?
Finally, it’s so simple.
As you begin to walk the trail of this purpose, you discover that the first thing we have to regenerate is ourselves.
Starting from me — — towards you, towards us — and then towards the whole.
Inclusive but expansive, from me to us, to the community, to the ecosystem.
It’s so simple because the building block, the beginning of the path is here, within our hearts.
It is in our hearts where we shed the light will illuminate our next step.
This first step towards the most genuine version of ourselves.
Of course, it doesn’t always work, it’s always an attempt, a continuous test, a bet.
But every time you put yourself in this mode you learn just by trying.
Because … where attention goes … energy flows and … knowledge flourishes.
And on each occasion, by trying to be who we are, allowing ourselves to be who we really are, we give others the permission to be who they really are.
And this juncture is wonderful. This is how a bond arises, an integrative power that unites and attracts us.
A bond, that when strengthened becomes more relevant than each of us as individuals and separate beings.
Within this bond, there is no competition only bonding collaboration.
And it is the power of this bond that leads us to the most genuine version of ourselves.
And it is from this bond that we find a new language. A language, not of communication but of connection.
A language based on reciprocity.
Of interdependence.
What Thich Nhat Hanh calls interbeing.
And in experiencing this, this bond, we feel the responsibility to take care of it, to nurture it, because through this bond very powerful feelings circulate, such as love, empathy, and compassion.
All of us reading these lines share an interest.
All of us are concerned about the future of our children, our community and the planet.
We are all aware of the complexity of the times.
We all know that we will face difficult events in the coming decades.
We have a huge planetary challenge ahead: To the crisis of climate change, we will have to add the already apparent ruptures in our social fabric and the impact of technological exponentiality.
We don’t have the capacity to solve these complex hurdles.
We do not have the intellectual tools to solve planetary challenges.
We live in a cultural disconnect.
We have created a separation between the living world and the economic world.
We convert all resources to cash
Everything is seen as a transaction for extraction.
We have to regenerate these bonds because it is from these bonds that a new language will emerge. From this new language, we will be able to create a new narrative. Our new story, which, based on reciprocity and cooperation, will allow us to create new systems of organization: a “bonding collaboration” network that will enable us to develop solutions to manage the complexities of our times.
This is the responsibility of the ReHumans.
It is time to regenerate.
