““Cultural intelligence [(or intuition)] implies the acquisition of a skill set that will make us more efficient in our dealing with other cultures.””
What does Slicing the P.I.E.™ mean?
Robin Hood is a famous character whose narrative was stealing from the rich to feed the poor. Noble? Yes. Wrong. Nevertheless. It's no secret certain people or groups of people get a bigger slice of the good things our world has to offer. There are no shortage of reasons and opinions one may state why this is the case. Taking from the rich just because you feel they have enough. Or that they can afford it. You may even say they’ll never miss it. But this does nothing to ingratiate those in the upper echelon of society to pour out their hearts to people in need.
People give for all kinds of reasons. Compassion, pride, guilt, ego? For the receiver it may not matter so much why and/or how they get help. But when that help is given out of love it can be transformative.
Slicing the P.I.E.™ is a philosophy that aims to pull at the drawstrings of our heart and guide us to a place where goodwill is the prevailing human principle of mankind.
The primary areas of concentration we have chosen to address this are:
The following quotes have been sifted to help convey the message behind each of these important areas of focus.
Why Publishing?
The Power of the Pen
"Thoughts are detangled through the lips and between the finger tips."
Implication: Your ability to write brings clarity to mind for you and others. An added bonus featured in this quote points to the importance of talking through, about, and out loud the things we've written down.
The Power of Reading
A history professor once said to his class: "if picking up a newspaper and reading it everyday is the only thing you take from this class I would have done my job."
Implication: Whether you're reading a book, newspaper, magazine, or article on the internet, your ability to read exposes you to the world all around you.
The Power of Books
Somebody once said: "if you want to hide something from a particular group of people, put it in a book."
Implication: Some people can't read or won't read. Though pictures may be worth a thousand words, books hold within their pages images and perspectives by people from all walks of life who we can all learn something from.
Why IDeation?
The Power of Imagination
"Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared." J. K. Rowling
The Power of Collaboration
"Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." - Steve Jobs
The Power of Proactivity
Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. William Pollard
Implication: "For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate." - Margaret Heffernan
Why Events?
The Power of Presence
"Everything has become so easy. It's great that it's at your fingertips, but I miss those good old days. And we're connected, but it can be very alienating. There is this distance between all of us because we're speaking to each other through cameras and monitors and icons and Emojis." Rami Malek
The Power of Fellowship
"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance." - Aesop
The Power of Connection
"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." Robert Southey
Implication: "Every living being is an engine geared to the wheel-work of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance." - Nikola Tesla
Why Professions?
The Power of Wisdom
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Implication: How true a friend are you really if you stand by and/or keep silent in the face of injustice?
The Power of Understanding
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7
Implication: As much as we value love (Agapé) and wisdom (the Fear of God), our capacity to walk in someone's shoes or see through the lens of someone else's point of view may very well trump the greatest of all virtues.
The Power of Testimony
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou
Implication: There is value in every person. Everybody has something to say! That doesn't mean everything we say is always valuable. But how will we ever know if you keep it all inside?
Why Investments?
The Power of Autonomy
"Empowerment isn't a buzzword among leadership gurus. It's a proven technique where leaders give their teams the appropriate training, tools, resources, and guidance to succeed." - John Rampton
The Power of Faith
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius
The Power of Inclusion
As we are pursuing economic growth and economic development, we have to make sure it happens with and by and for everyone. That everyone gets opportunity. Betsy Hodges
Implication: Our ability and willingness to build trust, invest, and empower those in marginalized communities – all constituting manners in which faith is executed – makes it possible for us to see beauty – in not just things, but people – we didn't know was there.
Why Entertainment?
The Power of Music
"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." - Bob Marley
"Where words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Andersen
"Music can change the world because it can change people." - Bono
The Power of Movies
"I make my films because I'm affected by a situation, by something that makes me want to reflect on it, that lends itself to an artistic reflection. I always aim to look directly at what I'm dealing with. I think it's a task of dramatic art to confront us with things that in the entertainment industry are usually swept under the rug." Michael Haneke
The Power of Responsibility
"As parents and as consumers, we have the right and the power to pressure the entertainment industry to respond to our needs. Americans, after all, should insist that every corporate giant - whether it produces chemicals or records - accept responsibility for what it produces." Tipper Gore
Implication: Entertainment is an incredible vehicle if you want to bring people together or send a message to the world.