We Can’t Ignore What’s Wrong Anymore

Today, we take on a difficult conversation sparked by the tragic killing in Biddeford, Maine, and other deeply disturbing events that have unfolded in recent months. Beyond the individual tragedies is something even more troubling: a growing tendency to normalize horrific, immoral, and dehumanizing behavior.

We see it in our politics. We see it in our communities. We see it in the way people talk about—and sometimes treat—one another. And when that behavior becomes normalized, we risk losing our ability to recognize just how wrong it is.

As OD and HR practitioners, we are at choice. Do we simply get caught in the current of toxic behavior and cultures, quietly adapting to what has become "normal"? Or do we have the courage to call it what it is?

What is our responsibility when the world around us becomes increasingly toxic? How do we create organizations where humanity, dignity, respect, and psychological safety aren't just words on a wall—but values we actively defend?

And maybe this isn't just an HR or OD issue. Maybe it starts with all of us—in the small choices we make every day. A little more curiosity. A little less judgment. An act of kindness toward a stranger. A decision to see the person in front of us as a human being, even when we disagree.

We can't fix everything that's wrong in the world. But perhaps we can influence the spaces we occupy, the cultures we create, and the way we treat the people we encounter.

Maybe that's where change begins.