Art Serna on Why Equity Crashes Without Love, Merit, and Systems Thinking.

MILWAUKEE, WI / ACCESS Newswire / November 3, 2025 / Equity demands love and merit, not just good intentions, otherwise it crashes the system.

Art Serna, founder of Cosmos Renewed, believes equity will remain out of reach until leaders treat it as a systems issue that rewards effort and creative production, not a moral goal that risks subsidizing mediocrity.

"Equity is not about who has the best mission statement," Serna says. "It is about how our systems in education, health care, housing, and finance are organized and how they shape results, often punishing creative effort while amplifying stagnation. When those systems work in narrow or biased ways, inequality becomes inevitable."

Art Serna explains that many equity initiatives fail because they address symptoms rather than the causes, overlooking merit and effort. Organizations often invest in diversity programs or community partnerships without changing the deeper frameworks that decide who benefits and who does not. "We reward activity instead of alignment," he notes. "True equity happens when we redesign the connections between systems with love as the binding force, not just improve one part of them."

He points to education as a clear example. Improving teacher diversity or updating lessons may help, but if funding models and access to local health services or transportation remain unequal, the same problems persist. "You cannot fix the classroom without fixing the neighborhood," Serna says. "The entire system must evolve to fuel regenerative opportunity."

Systems thinking, he adds, provides a practical way to move forward. It helps people understand how different parts of a system influence each other. For equity, that means asking better questions. Instead of asking how to help individuals succeed, leaders should ask why certain groups face barriers and how existing structures reinforce those barriers, while ensuring rewards ignite individual agency.

"Too many strategies focus on individuals," Serna says. "We keep teaching people to survive in unfair systems instead of rebuilding the systems themselves with merit-driven loops."

He believes that equity should not depend on personal values or strong personalities. It must be built into the way decisions are made and how accountability is implemented. "Intentions can start a conversation," he says. "But systems fueled by love and core principles keep the change alive."

Art Serna describes three major shifts that are necessary for progress. The first is moving from isolated programs to what he calls ecosystem alignment. In this approach, government, nonprofits, and businesses collaborate to achieve shared results. The second is a move from control to collaboration, where leaders accept that no single organization can solve inequality on its own. The third shift is from short-term fixes to regenerative design, which restores trust and opportunity through creative production rather than maintaining the status quo.

He says systems thinking is not abstract or overly technical. It is a practical mindset that depends on data, dialogue, and humility. "Every organization is part of a larger pattern," he explains. "When leaders see themselves as part of that pattern, they make better choices. They stop competing for credit and start building connections."

Art Serna warns that ignoring systems thinking has real consequences. Goodwill without good design often leads to burnout and frustration. Communities become cynical when they see the same promises fail repeatedly. "People lose faith when systems promise change but deliver the same results," he says. "That is why systems thinking matters. It turns equity into something measurable and lasting, rooted in love and merit."

Serna uses the term regenerative opportunity to describe this approach at Cosmos Renewed. It restores rather than reacts. It begins with listening to communities and studying how existing systems help or harm people. It takes patience and steady collaboration. But he believes it is the only way to create lasting change. "You cannot build equity on broken foundations," he says. "You must rebuild the foundation itself with rewards that propel all."

He adds that systems thinking deepens the human side of leadership. "When we see systems clearly, we see people more clearly," Serna says. "We begin to understand how our decisions affect entire communities. That awareness creates empathy that no policy can replace."

For Art Serna, the message is clear. Good intentions can initiate change, but systems determine where that change goes. "If equity is to become real," he says, "we must design for regenerative opportunity. We need systems that are fair, connected, and capable of producing justice by design, not by chance."

To learn more visit: https://artserna.com/

Contact Art Serna:

cosmosrenewed@gmail.com

SOURCE: Art Serna