Does the headline surprise you? It doesn’t really sound like the usual topics that I write about – PR, social media, marketing. And that’s true because today I want to dig deeper and put you on a journey that will help you learn so much about our current crises and the reasons behind it.

How am I going to do that? Well, I want to present to you my new infographic – number five in my arsenal of infographics – this time in collaboration with Giles Hutchins, author of The Nature of Business and The Illusion of Separation, the latter being the focus of the infographic.

But before I get to the visual itself, I want to tell you the story behind it and how I got to work on this project with Giles.  

About three years ago, Giles held a guest lecture at Plymouth University about 'The Firm of The Future'. It was his talk that for the first time opened my eyes to our current reality and sparked my interest in sustainability. He spoke about the challenges we and our planet are facing and that today’s business paradigm is unsustainable. What followed after that for me was an entire research about sustainability and the use of social media communications.

I also started following Giles’ work, reading his blog and when he published his first book, I was immediately hooked. Same thing happened with the second book, the only difference now being that I tweeted at him saying that I was reading it and that I am super excited about it. He replied being genuinely interested in hearing about my thoughts after finishing it. And so I did – I emailed him my feedback.

I told him that I loved the book. Not just because everything he says makes so much sense, but because the book puts you on a discovery journey of what life really is about. It was a great learning experience for me; there were many things I didn't know and the way Giles guides the reader through the different ages, philosophical and scientific views was enlightening. 

If you read the book, you will see how much effort and passion he has put into it, which deserves admiration. 

What he talks about in the book is a very difficult and at times heavy topic, but what he’s done is having started the discussion. The challenge now is mainstream understanding, not to mention adoption among ordinary people to get to grips with the described reality, accept that it is wrong and be willing to change. 

I told him that one thing I've learned while working in the communications industry is that for ideas to spread they need to be translated into everyday language. They need to be easy to understand, relevant and engaging to foster change. And while I was reading the book I was thinking about how it would be great to present the main learnings into a journey-wise infographic to make them easy to share and spread.

Because at the end of the day it's all about personal choice. You can't persuade anyone to change without it coming from within. But to make one understand and open his or her mind and heart is hard, so synthesising the learnings of the book into an easily accessible visual piece is one way to drive that change by educating people.

Giles actually loved the idea! After a few emails of exchanging information and thoughts, the infographic is now live. As the author of the book, Giles was the mastermind behind the story, I only put it visually together.

You can see below the result of our collaboration. We would love to hear your thoughts and invite you to share and embed the infographic any way you see fit. Let’s spread the word about the illusion of separation and the reasons for our crises! Only so will we be able to move to a new society and a new consciousness that will drive a fruitful, healthy and full of possibilities future for us and for the next generations.

Moving to a New Society and a New Consciousness