Reflection Point II

Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.

— Crazy Horse (Native Indian saying)

Three forces are constantly influencing and shaping all our lives.

Namely these forces are:

The Economy, the sum of all the companies.
Us, the world’s population; and
Nature, the Earth, and all the life we share it with.

A simple but powerful way to look at our world is to understand these three significant forces and how they influence one another.

To know our place in our world is to know of the roles, responsibilities, the influence and the interactions of these three forces and their interconnectedness.

Presently, the Companies (they rule the economy) are locked into a cycle to create profits, to grow, and to create more profits. Profits are the key to the growth and sustainability of the company. For some companies, it is profits at all costs, and for others, it is profits and also looking the other way.

Companies are powerful, and they control and are the economy.

Now, the Companies claim that they advance society and that it is good for all.

At a micro-level, companies provide us with work and the money that is needed for you and me to create safety, acquire food, and a roof.

As a result, the companies largely determine what is good for us, who gets the promotion, what requirements they need to fulfill, and what jobs need to be filled, etc.

We are the modern slaves. Normally, we work for a company for a couple of years, focused on helping the company grow.

However, the Companies have a one-directional relationship with Nature, from exploitation to pollution to outright destruction. Presently, Nature has no place at the negotiation table. As a result, the existence of Nature is taken for granted and the balance between taking away from Nature and doing well for Nature is not considered by Companies.

The relationship between us and Nature is actually simple. In that that we are a part of it, that we depend on it for our air, water, food, and all other things that Nature provides.

Nature however, is not endless. In its own way, Nature evolves and strives to create harmony at every step. Ideally, where Nature is concerned, we the people ought to be part of this balance. That’s when we empower us, the people. Because we sync with our Natural surroundings and help it preserve and thrive.

Presently though, the power ranking is simple: Companies first, humans (us/we) second, and Nature last.

How then, can our priorities include Nature first? Does that mean that both the Companies and the People are creating an internal awareness that we are just a strand of Nature’s web?

One school of thought is that of incorporating the essence of Ecological Economics early on in life. To learn about it early on in life no matter what field we work in, whether in the corporate business, governmental politics, entrepreneurships or social sciences, we imbue in us and our future generations the ideal of inter-relatedness. The interconnectedness of natural and social sciences, that of classical economy and ecological economy. The learning that we are not isolated people who are either too powerless or too full of control, but instead an integral element of Nature’s very fundament.

In 2011, even before the official founding of the IPCC forum, this author was introduced to Ecological Economics when studying in Norway. Climate Change and our role in causing it and ultimately our role in also reversing the damages was central to Ecological Economics. It was astounding then, that very few of the world’s political leaders and corporate decision makers were actually involved in this education when it is the choices of these few that cause the upheavals of many. So where were they schooling these past years? Any efforts to tackle this issue at the top levels have always coughed up but stochastic responses that didn’t last beyond a few breaths. Not enough to truly reverse any of the damages anyways. So where do we begin?

It is encouraging that little children and young minds are instinctively tuned in to Nature, much better than most adults. They can (if not interrupted …) easily soak in the complex interconnections and larger web of connections – so a good place to start learning this is in early education both at homes and at schools.

Another school of thought is the one founded by Fritjof Capra. How to embody the System View of Life in our business practices and in our way of living. Capra’s works have been a lifelong inspiration for the authors of this blog.

Understanding Capra’s and his partner’s works is to understand how interconnected systems are thriving and how isolating silos of systems can collapse our civilizations through damages caused on Nature, on people’s Health and the Social Economy.

Another positive direction from the policy makers is the latest environmental. Social and governance (ESG) considerations that businesses need to incorporate into their operations. A little introduction below:

E – Environmental: Does your organization minimize the impact of its activities on nature and its surroundings? Delivering on E requires tackling challenges like waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, emissions reduction, green building design and operations, climate risk mitigation, and biodiversity protection.

S – Social: Does your organization improve its interactions with its workforce and the broader community? Delivering on S requires focusing on occupational health and safety, good occupant health, employee welfare, community engagement and impact, and diversity and inclusion.

G – Governance: Does your organization focus on decision-making processes, report on activities, and ensure ethical behaviour? Fulfilling the G component of ESG necessitates ethics and transparency, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.