TED Community » Lillian Mackie

More About Me

I'm passionate about

I am passionate about human rights, compassion for fellow human beings and treating people with dignity and respect no matter who they are. People who are honorable and who act with integrity.

An idea worth spreading

How can we make this world a better place for all, how can we destroy all forms of poverty, financial, emotional, educational? I believe we have the power to change this world so that we can truly enjoy the simpler things in life like our families and friends, nature, art and music. If we could do this and learn to distinguish between needs and wants, not depend on credit to buy us "happiness" and live within our means; just think about the freedom we would feel if we didn't have to keep working harder and harder to make money to pay debt.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.40 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Conversation: An agency that protects the non unionized worker.

  Apr 25 2012: Bill thanks for the thumbs up. I do agree that Unions help protect ALL workers, any positives we enjoy in the workplace are a result of Unions lobbying government bodies, but I don't think it is enough today. Corporations are asking more and more from their employees and I am not sure where it will end. I am thinking of a universal agency maybe linked with the UN and human rights and that is how it would have leverage.

• A reply on Conversation: What is the proper steps to shifting someones paradigm of something very concrete and pertinent to them?

  Apr 21 2012: I think we all have those urges to change someone's thought patterns when those thought patterns are destructive to that person or to others but it is an exercise in futility unless the person is open to change. There are some people that are never open to looking within themselves and are oblivious to anything outside of themselves.

• A comment on Conversation: What is the best thing you've ever done in life?

  Apr 20 2012: Becoming a mother and now a grandmother are the best things I have ever done

• A comment on Conversation: What is the proper steps to shifting someones paradigm of something very concrete and pertinent to them?

  Apr 20 2012: I do not believe there is any one method that iwill allow a paradigm shift as all people are different and respond to different stimuli based on their value system. I think that someone has to be open to changing thought patterns and is does take a long time to shift those patterns. What reason would you have to want to make a shift in the first place. People learn and grow and people come into our lives to help us learn and grow and sometimes those relationships end when we have both learned what we need to. It is sometimes healthy to end those relationships in order for both parties to continue their personal growth as well as To potentially change their thought patterns. You cannot make people change they have to want to change.

• A reply on Conversation: 3-day (24-hour) work week and 4-day weekend to reflect productivity and to increase productivity, creativity and human happiness.

  Apr 7 2012: You need to start somewhere and I believe that even though the dollars and cents may not make a huge difference in peopke's lives the value for the work people do would be recognized. I do not believe in the disparity of wages, nor the huge advantage being taken of workers with the expectations of a job to the detriment of family life and personal well being. There needs to be more of a balance in life, people cannot be robbed of the simple enjoyment of life and that is what is happening. So maybe it looks like hiring more people to get the job done in order for all to enjoy their life. It is I believe a basic human right and our responsibility to our children to provide them with those basics, it is not all about money. Poverty comes in all forms.

• A reply on Conversation: Do introverts make better leaders?

  Apr 7 2012: You have described what I have always thought about myself, I am also a leader of people and always seek collaboration from my team. I feel that if I can get their point of view and make plans together they will by into the end result and we all become successful. I am someone who empathizes and takes seriously their concerns, I help them out whenever I can and I teach them how to do things. This type of leadership I believe is beneficial for the long term viability of an organization. Unfortunately we are in an age of needing results fast and when we can't see the forest for the trees the slower process isn't as valued. I am motivated by the growth and learning my staff achieve from my coaching it is very satisfying to believe in someone even though others don't, work with them and have them succeed. I believe that quality is always better than quantity because quality will eventually give you quantity. I have sacrificed my own success because I truly believe in the long term success of a team. I believe a good leader needs to listen to their staff, gain their trust and respect and work with them and not above them. You need to understand the challenges they face, celebrate their successes and support and help them when they are struggling. I don't believe there are a lot of leaders who are solely focused on the success of their people. My experience shows a lot of managers focused on themselves and their success and will most times not be honest about the obstacles their staff are experiencing just to make themselves look good. It is in everyone's best interest that we talk about those challenges because in today's environment of do more with less productivity is suffering hugely.
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  A reply on Conversation: 3-day (24-hour) work week and 4-day weekend to reflect productivity and to increase productivity, creativity and human happiness.

  Mar 31 2012: I think that maybe a petition might be a way to start because that would show the amount of people that feel the same way. Once that information is gathered we would have the necessary information to proceed from there to governments, labour unions etc. I believe that this needs to be a global issue for all economies to thrive. I believe that it would put all on a more level playing field. For example goods are produced in China and India very cheaply because of the low cost of labour. If all things were equalized we wouldn't have to be competing with other countries for products and services. Maybe we could all focus on what we do best and share with eachother rather than compete.
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  A reply on Conversation: 3-day (24-hour) work week and 4-day weekend to reflect productivity and to increase productivity, creativity and human happiness.

  Mar 28 2012: I am a manager of people and find it difficult at times to deliver the messages that come down the pipe. I am very disillusioned with how employees are treated and taken advantage of and how employees are afraid to say anything because they fear for their jobs. I believe that it is time to be free from the chains of those large corporations and padding the pockets of their CEO's. The people who do all the work and make money for these corporations need to be compensated fairly and have time to spend with their families and become the people they were meant to be. So how do we implement such a strategy. I believe the whole world is crying out for change. Things don't seem to be working right anymore so we cannot continue to do the same thing. The credit crisis in the US and Europe are prime examples of our broken system. I am all for all people living in humanely and with dignity this is something I am very passionate about.
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  A comment on Conversation: 3-day (24-hour) work week and 4-day weekend to reflect productivity and to increase productivity, creativity and human happiness.

  Mar 28 2012: The scenario can work if the salary ratios of CEO's to employees was not so off side. I am sure the extra money would be found. As well if prices increased to somewhat compensate, people would maybe think twice about their purchases. Maybe we could go back to producing products that last longer and people would be willing to pay a bit more. We live in a throw away society where consumption has become an epidemic. Enjoying the simpler things in life instead of the type of car we drive and how many TV's we have are more fulfilling. Consumption only makes us happy for a short period of time. I see many people who get trapped financially because they are constantly chasing happiness with needless consumption.

• A comment on Conversation: Are we the total sum of majority consensus or are we much more than that?

  Mar 28 2012: Wisdom comes through living life, learning from mistakes that are made listening to other people's opinions forming your own opinions and sometimes we change our opinions because we learn something new. Our opinions are based I believe on our personal value system and that is why we are all different because different things are important to different people. Some people may be happy with the world as it is because it fits into their personal values. So those of us wishing to change the world could be seen as wrong. A global collective to establish a global set of values as part of the UN is a start but you will always have those individuals who take a different path based on their experiences and hoe they have been treated. It is a difficult process but treating eachother with respect and dignity should be a value that all people on this planet should share, basic human rights. Maybe TED is the place to start developing those global values but it is not enough because you are only getting certain people's opinions and a consensus would have to be reached for change to occur. I am just rambling on but maybe each country should have to come up with a set of values they want incorporated and then all of those values taken to a global conference or the UN to establish a global set of values. A dream or can this become real.