so while having a cup of tea with tribal
elders in the deserts of Afghanistan I
learned one of the most valuable lessons
about sustainable security and that is
human human connection is is our most
vital piece of it true security occurs
when we can we having a meltdown true
security occurs when we can create a
space where each of our cultures can
connect as equals and build out from
there it’s hard because all sides have
to admit our own faults and even worse
our own vulnerabilities so as our
culture’s become more connected we as
individuals are becoming less connected
and this is the biggest security threat
of our time every day we hear of the
growing violence even today
unfortunately with the synagogue in our
homes in our workplaces in our schools
poverty is is ravaging our communities
due due to political and-and-and
religious conflict we’re having a huge
wave of we’re having a huge way a
climate climate change we’re witnessing
one of the largest human migrations that
the world has ever known this is
unbelievable I do this for a living
every day we hear the growing violence
in our schools in workplaces poverty is
ravaging our communities and do the
political and religious conflict income
equality and climate change we’re
witnessing one of the largest human
migrations that the world has ever seen
on a global level the number of
megacities of 10 million people or more
are projected to rise and our fear of
this is causing us to look at ways that
we can address housing
energy so our default solution has been
technology and in many sectors that are
served as well
however our technical advances have
stifled our social interactions we no
longer date we profile we no longer we
no longer carpool we ride remotely but
we work remotely we no longer build
those relationships between law
enforcement and the communities because
now we use a lot of security equipment
or surveillance equipment no longer do
we have skin in the game
when it comes to the war because now we
drum and and we’re not second-guessing
it as we as we normally would have no
don’t get me wrong technology is very
important is extremely important our
lives and in many areas it has served us
well however my fear is that technology
has has caused us to stifle our social
interactions until we find a way to to
stop feeding the madness we we we have
to build models to meet people at a
human level we we have to build that
model so that it can we can reach each
other through apathy compassion and and
and build from there I’m committed to
this because my life experiences
show me the gaps in our security models
and has ignited a desire in me to bridge
them you see I’ve been fortunate enough
to have a remarkable career as a young
marine I had the opportunity to travel
the world I met some amazing people I’ve
seen some amazing sunrises but
unfortunately these were not under the
best circumstances one of the first
lessons that I learned was that in
poverty and in conflict no one suffers
more than women and girls
it’s a lesson that is there’s a stuck
with me throughout my life and I’ll talk
about that a little later after the
Marines was law enforcement where I had
an incredible career working local state
and federal crimes as a member of the
police department as a street officer
gang a narcotics officer and ended my
career as a member of a federal task
force my success in law enforcement was
when a season grumpy officer came to me
and said that no matter how frustrated
we get dealing with the same problems
over and over and over again we have to
think of all the houses in the
communities that we don’t have a problem
with and these are the people that are
just trying to make it these these are
the people that we’re out here for
overtime I learned that it wasn’t a
badge and the the title that that gave
us the ability to reach our communities
that had the communities open up about
their greatest fears it was that we met
them at a human level it was when they
saw us as partners in the community
unfortunately there’s this narrative out
there that we’re warriors we’re not
warriors we’re we’re community servants
and we’re out here for those just trying
to make it after the law enforcement I
was recruited by the to be a special
staff advisor with the Marine Corps in
Helmand province Afghanistan and it was
here where I first realized how
important human connection is although
we were Marines we had superior
firepower superior training our leaders
always approached the the Afghan
decision-makers with with respect as
warriors with with respect as men who
are out for their own looking out for
it taught me that that it will at the
core of preventing battles it’s not
about who has the biggest guns
it’s about true warriors seeing each
other showing respect can meet our eye
and and build on a human connection and
and my question was if we can do this in
the middle of war why is it so hard for
us to do it everywhere else after the
Marines I started really thinking in and
I thought you know this is this this is
for me it’s about reaching in in three
different areas reaching out to the
community in three different areas
number one was teaching our young boys
to end violence against women and girls
teaching our mentor in that gender-based
violence I think it’s very important
that that we get minorities involved in
a political process know each of our
voices must must be heard and and I’ve
said this already but it’s very
important that each of us have a voice
in how we’re governed we have to be we
have to have a voice in how we’re
secured we have to have a voice and
what’s what respect is to us we have to
have that voice for me I advocate as
much as possible for those who don’t
have a voice so I try to be as active as
possible in the political process for
those who can the third thing that I
think is extremely important is that we
have to get businesses more involved the
trend toward social entrepreneurship is
great social enterprise is wonderful but
every business can do more to promote
human connection in their workplaces in
their communities that they operate in
it is vitally important that that our
human resources department we engage our
human capital so that we can build the
employee training that that deters
conflict there’s far too much of it
going on in our communities in our
workplaces and I think it’s extremely
important that we as business leaders
step up to the plate and bring that do
as much as we can to bring that to an
end as a security management adviser I
try to work with the communities that
are operating by providing training in
crisis management and conflict
resolution so we can all bring our
skills we can all bring our our
professions our passions and go out into
our communities and do amazing things if
we take that time so what I’m asking is
that each of you take again take your
passions take your skills take your your
your professionalism get it out there
into the community and build for six
months and and and after you see where
that is built for another six months and
another six months and another six
months because what what’s missing is
that the security models the the the
world us as individuals we’re all
missing in that human connection Desmond
Tutu said we need other humans in order
to be humans I am because you are and I
strongly believe that and I think that
each of us need to take what we have go
out into our communities and make it a
better place in advance of all of you
going out and doing those things I thank
you I thank you very much [Applause]
elders in the deserts of Afghanistan I
learned one of the most valuable lessons
about sustainable security and that is
human human connection is is our most
vital piece of it true security occurs
when we can we having a meltdown true
security occurs when we can create a
space where each of our cultures can
connect as equals and build out from
there it’s hard because all sides have
to admit our own faults and even worse
our own vulnerabilities so as our
culture’s become more connected we as
individuals are becoming less connected
and this is the biggest security threat
of our time every day we hear of the
growing violence even today
unfortunately with the synagogue in our
homes in our workplaces in our schools
poverty is is ravaging our communities
due due to political and-and-and
religious conflict we’re having a huge
wave of we’re having a huge way a
climate climate change we’re witnessing
one of the largest human migrations that
the world has ever known this is
unbelievable I do this for a living
every day we hear the growing violence
in our schools in workplaces poverty is
ravaging our communities and do the
political and religious conflict income
equality and climate change we’re
witnessing one of the largest human
migrations that the world has ever seen
on a global level the number of
megacities of 10 million people or more
are projected to rise and our fear of
this is causing us to look at ways that
we can address housing
energy so our default solution has been
technology and in many sectors that are
served as well
however our technical advances have
stifled our social interactions we no
longer date we profile we no longer we
no longer carpool we ride remotely but
we work remotely we no longer build
those relationships between law
enforcement and the communities because
now we use a lot of security equipment
or surveillance equipment no longer do
we have skin in the game
when it comes to the war because now we
drum and and we’re not second-guessing
it as we as we normally would have no
don’t get me wrong technology is very
important is extremely important our
lives and in many areas it has served us
well however my fear is that technology
has has caused us to stifle our social
interactions until we find a way to to
stop feeding the madness we we we have
to build models to meet people at a
human level we we have to build that
model so that it can we can reach each
other through apathy compassion and and
and build from there I’m committed to
this because my life experiences
show me the gaps in our security models
and has ignited a desire in me to bridge
them you see I’ve been fortunate enough
to have a remarkable career as a young
marine I had the opportunity to travel
the world I met some amazing people I’ve
seen some amazing sunrises but
unfortunately these were not under the
best circumstances one of the first
lessons that I learned was that in
poverty and in conflict no one suffers
more than women and girls
it’s a lesson that is there’s a stuck
with me throughout my life and I’ll talk
about that a little later after the
Marines was law enforcement where I had
an incredible career working local state
and federal crimes as a member of the
police department as a street officer
gang a narcotics officer and ended my
career as a member of a federal task
force my success in law enforcement was
when a season grumpy officer came to me
and said that no matter how frustrated
we get dealing with the same problems
over and over and over again we have to
think of all the houses in the
communities that we don’t have a problem
with and these are the people that are
just trying to make it these these are
the people that we’re out here for
overtime I learned that it wasn’t a
badge and the the title that that gave
us the ability to reach our communities
that had the communities open up about
their greatest fears it was that we met
them at a human level it was when they
saw us as partners in the community
unfortunately there’s this narrative out
there that we’re warriors we’re not
warriors we’re we’re community servants
and we’re out here for those just trying
to make it after the law enforcement I
was recruited by the to be a special
staff advisor with the Marine Corps in
Helmand province Afghanistan and it was
here where I first realized how
important human connection is although
we were Marines we had superior
firepower superior training our leaders
always approached the the Afghan
decision-makers with with respect as
warriors with with respect as men who
are out for their own looking out for
it taught me that that it will at the
core of preventing battles it’s not
about who has the biggest guns
it’s about true warriors seeing each
other showing respect can meet our eye
and and build on a human connection and
and my question was if we can do this in
the middle of war why is it so hard for
us to do it everywhere else after the
Marines I started really thinking in and
I thought you know this is this this is
for me it’s about reaching in in three
different areas reaching out to the
community in three different areas
number one was teaching our young boys
to end violence against women and girls
teaching our mentor in that gender-based
violence I think it’s very important
that that we get minorities involved in
a political process know each of our
voices must must be heard and and I’ve
said this already but it’s very
important that each of us have a voice
in how we’re governed we have to be we
have to have a voice in how we’re
secured we have to have a voice and
what’s what respect is to us we have to
have that voice for me I advocate as
much as possible for those who don’t
have a voice so I try to be as active as
possible in the political process for
those who can the third thing that I
think is extremely important is that we
have to get businesses more involved the
trend toward social entrepreneurship is
great social enterprise is wonderful but
every business can do more to promote
human connection in their workplaces in
their communities that they operate in
it is vitally important that that our
human resources department we engage our
human capital so that we can build the
employee training that that deters
conflict there’s far too much of it
going on in our communities in our
workplaces and I think it’s extremely
important that we as business leaders
step up to the plate and bring that do
as much as we can to bring that to an
end as a security management adviser I
try to work with the communities that
are operating by providing training in
crisis management and conflict
resolution so we can all bring our
skills we can all bring our our
professions our passions and go out into
our communities and do amazing things if
we take that time so what I’m asking is
that each of you take again take your
passions take your skills take your your
your professionalism get it out there
into the community and build for six
months and and and after you see where
that is built for another six months and
another six months and another six
months because what what’s missing is
that the security models the the the
world us as individuals we’re all
missing in that human connection Desmond
Tutu said we need other humans in order
to be humans I am because you are and I
strongly believe that and I think that
each of us need to take what we have go
out into our communities and make it a
better place in advance of all of you
going out and doing those things I thank
you I thank you very much [Applause]
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