“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain)
While event professionals know full well the value of exploring new people and places, in the above context, “travel” also suggests moving beyond the intellectual and social boundaries that keep us firmly entrenched in our assumptions, that when we limit our exposure to the diversity of human cultures and viewpoints, we mistake familiarity for truth. Our views become even more rigid when we don’t consider and are not challenged by other’s lived experiences.
Mahatma Gandi similarly stated, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive,” underscoring how isolationism breeds distortion and half-truth whereas, in contrast, openness and ongoing learning sustain cultures.
Bringing diverse voices together in-person is the most effective way to move past so many of the problems that plague humanity. While earnest dialogue isn’t a panacea, it creates understanding and can unearth appropriate and agreeable next steps in service of identifying and crafting solutions. That’s why MPI so deeply values and promotes dialogue and progress.
I’m reminded of the European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC) a couple of years ago in Luxembourg. There, former Danish Member of Parliament Özlem Cekic delivered an address about building bridges between opposing perspectives, noting how she shared coffee with some of her greatest critics to connect on a more human level.
To better appreciate various concerns from members of our community, I soon after also began offering invitations to meet over coffee. And you know what? That one-on-one time together granted us an invaluable opportunity to understand each other beyond just language—solidly back at our shared human baseline—and recognize common ground. Was every aspect of concern magically resolved once our cups were depleted? No. But our awareness of one another’s perspectives improved, extremes were tempered and we departed on pleasant terms. Positive progress was made. Respect was shared. Empathy won.
The human experience varies widely, the unique individual perspectives across our planet innumerable. We will never completely agree on every aspect of business, politics or life. And, generally, events cannot achieve their greatest potential without respecting and including disparate ideas, cultures and backgrounds. But one common interest across the MPI community: a passion for the positive impact that events can have interpersonally, locally, nationally and worldwide.
Look no further than February’s Super Bowl LX Halftime Show for a powerful, universal message brought forth by a major event, a message applicable to what I’m conveying here. Amidst all the bickering and controversy, the Levi’s Stadium video board (the largest in the NFL) displayed nine simple words: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
In writing this column, I was reminded of an experience in 1977 for which the platform of an event was leveraged to deliver a similarly impactful message. This, however, proved too long to include in the print version.
When I was an impressionable 17-year-old, I was blessed to attend, with my father and three brothers, the final game in the career of iconic footballer Pelé.
Prior to the game, Pelé walked on to the field with Muhammad Ali (both among my childhood heroes) and proceeded to give a short, emotional and poignant speech. Following is an excerpt from contemporaneous coverage in The New York Times:
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Pelé said, putting his hands behind his head as if to support his quivering words. “I am very happy to be here with you in this greatest moment of my life. want to thank you all, every single one of you. I want to take this opportunity to ask you to pay attention to the young of the world, the children, the kids. We need them too much. And I want to ask you because I think that, I believe that, love is the, the, the…”
Tears welled in his eyes, and he could no longer stem their flow. He tightened his grip on himself and continued, his words shaking, his voice cracking.
“Love is more important than what we can take in life. Everything pass. Please say with me, three times—love! love! love!”
In unison, the 75,000+ spectators repeated the word “love” three times; I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. While his English may not have been great, his message was clear and very well received. To ensure a better world for our children, a better future for our children, we need more love.
Indeed, when we meet, we change the world.
Paul Van Deventer
President & CEO, MPI
