Mission
Background and Mission
In a thirty year study by San Diego University they found that, at the beginning of the study, Americans had on average 5 real friends. The definition of a real friend was someone who would pay your mortgage or something to that commitment level if you were in having financial difficulty. Thirty years later the finding was that Americans today have, on average, zero great friends. We work and live in isolation and are slow to act another for help.
A further study from the same university tracked loneliness and its effects upon health. The researchers noted that admitting to being lonely in modern society was regarded as being a ‘loser’ which delayed the process of extracting correct findings. Researchers concluded that loneliness if today the single biggest cause of cancer.
With MAOI culture in rural Japan, their children are assigned five friends for life. Each person goes through life with the emotional, learning, social and financial support of these assigned friends. So 5 + 1 people pay for the new tractor, house extension or family wedding. They live 8 years longer, and know not the meaning of depression or loneliness as they live with more joy and connection that their western world counterparts.
The mission of Grumpy & Wise is to make it easier for people to have a continuous pipeline of great friends. From these friendships comes trust which is the foundation of creativity and community. Good friends reflect back to us both our brilliance and the awareness lessons we need to master. This shared journey is both an accelerator and an inspiration, helping us to better stay in the flow of our collective personal development momentum.
With ‘The Lost Tribe’ in the Australian outback, each person finds their gift and purpose in life as they grow with their tribe. Through the examples set by those leaders around them plus the wisdom of their elders they find their joy – to be an entertainer, bone setter, builder, cook or hunter. Collectively they grow to individually express and achieve harmony as a unit. Their acceptance of ‘one-ness’ is central to their lifestyle.
Sometimes in our modern we get so busy with the isolated growth of just ourselves. Success is popularised as standing alone on top of the mountain as winner. But most often those who get to that mountain top don’t like the view. With all their millions, their fame and their status they come to realise that the real prize is to bring as many people as possible along that journey to the mountain top so together you can share the joy.
Innovation has been hijacked to mean that a couple of tech heads win all the marbles, where Universities and Research Institutes build curriculum to serve old world industry masters. Where a few win the game and most are cast as unsuccessful.
At Grumpy & Wise we wish to bring innovation back to everyone. Where two people gather in a cafe or at a crossroads, their friendship leads to trust. Trust creates a safe atmosphere for self-expression. And out of this self-expression comes all the answers to the worlds challenges.
Over the years I have observed people meet at village gathering spots or sit on barstools. As they reflect upon the affairs of the world they come up with some brilliant practical solutions. In the 70’s as Harley Davidson motor cycle company were facing extension from Japanese competitors, management had several faild attempts to save the business, but to no avail. Finally, they decided to ask their staff on the production line for their opinions, with the promise that they would truly listen and implement the suggested changes. The result was a dramatic transformation of Harley Davisons fortunes. They transformed employee culture, build trust and loyalty and uncovered some absolutely great innovations which transformed their bikes.
At Grumpy & Wise believe that what the world needs right now is for us all to come together as friends, build a culture of unity. This release our innovative mind power and realise that we collective are the answer and have the power. We come up with ideas, little and large, to help our friends and community. We create mini businesses startups in every corner of our communities. We look after each other and we particularly look after those isolated or less fortunate than us.
As we make new friends, from where we speak may we cast a warm glow
