Big Think is covering ethics in life and business today, and it’s a topic that seems to be slipping from mainstream societal view. Of course, the words are evident in everything that is written, but the actions don’t match those words in any way shape or form. Because if they did match, then the social problems (hunger, poverty, injustice, intolerance, abuse, etc.) that are increasing worldwide would actually be decreasing. And our leaders would actually be pursuing actions that hold responsibility above those of ideology.
It’s difficult when you follow standard methods of capitalism in the business, finance and political sectors. As the primary focus is on profit maximization (see the Wikipedia page), many claim that pursuing any other factors that affect that profit negatively is considered to not be in the best interest of the shareholders. But if the primary focus is on completing tasks that only impact a profit-based mindset, then what happens when actions resulting from those decisions harm the external environment and its inhabitants? It’s obvious that there is no simple solution, as our world currently has two major and divergent ideologies competing for supremacy with little consideration for associated negative societal impacts. And then, if we consider that other people may not believe in capitalism and use another method that is even less conscientious, then we create a recipe for combined destructive behaviors that might eventually be irreversible.
Ethics is still wound into many high-level job descriptions in many business and political sectors, but we need to enforce the action and not just the words. This means that a new business mindset must be created that primarily takes into account ethics towards society in its entirety. Even if it means creating a new form of business that falls in line with what social entrepreneurs are currently doing, so that profit maximization can’t derail consideration of projects that require more but also result in much, much more positive impact for society as a whole.
More articles on the subject at Big Think: The Spiritual Path To Becoming A Superstar At Work and The Crisis of Meaning in the Millenial Work Force
