Mind the Gap
My cousin applied for an entrepreneurship programme at the prestigious London Business School. She wanted to understand the global markets, why capital moves the way it does and structural inequalities that shape these global business markets.
During one of our facetimes, she mentioned visiting a friend in Birmingham. From there, they moved from city to city on trains and the Underground (the Tube).
No matter the station she entered or exited, there were three words that followed her around:
It was boldly written on the floors, etched on train doors and announced over the public address system at every stop.
This was a gentle reminder for passengers to pay attention to the physical space between the edge of the platform and the door of the train.
The conversation moved on. But this was how I got to learn about the legendary London phrase.
Today, that thought crossed my mind again and I wondered how many gaps exist in our lives which we do not stop long enough to notice.
- The gap between the education we receive and the knowledge we actually need. For context, we keep churning out graduates every year, but still, we do not notice any big improvement in our society. Which begs the question, does education equip us with the knowledge to solve problems or is it just about the certificates and titles?
- The growing distance between the haves and the have-nots.
- The gender gap in politics and other sectors of our modern society.
- The gap between your qualifications and what people are willing to pay you.
- The gap between the laws that exist to protect humans and the marginalised groups who struggle to be heard.
The solution, more often than not, begins with simply noticing the gaps. This means that if there is a gap between a child's potential and the resources available to help them succeed, you could close that gap.
However, you cannot mind the gap if you have not yet stopped to notice that the gap exists. We need to build a culture where we make the gaps visible.
This lesson guides my life now. I'm consistently becoming intentional about either bridging or widening the gaps, depending on what best promotes a more just and egalitarian society.