Thoughts this morning after reading a great book on Stoicism, where this topic is never mentioned. But sometimes, that’s how a good book will affect us, sparking new ideas and suggesting things that aren’t in the book at all, which makes reading a good book always an adventure. The book, by the way, was How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson. Click the title to see it. Such a very good book! But now to the thought it oddly sparked.
I have an image of capitalism as a very big dog that, trained well, can be a boy or girl's best friend. Untrained, it can wreck havoc throughout the house and poop on every yard. But nurtured lovingly and taught good behaviors, it can be a boon companion through the years of our lives and make our journeys better in so many ways.
Now let's switch metaphors. When anyone thinks of a business as a money machine, things go badly, however well they seem to proceed. When we think of business instead as an engine for human good, things change for the better. It's a bit like viewing medicine as about not only healing but enhanced health, or general wellbeing. When business is viewed and used properly, it's also about healing and enhanced health across all dimensions of our lives. It's about the general weal and wellbeing. It's about improving the human community for all.
I think only a dogged pursuit of the right visions will give us in our time, and in times to come, what we so deeply need.
