You might’ve heard that beautiful quote about forgiveness. “Today, I decided to forgive you… not because you apologized but because my soul deserves peace.”
But what if you didn’t need to forgive because you didn't condemn in the first place?
Capitalism is a popular scapegoat. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily debate the merits of various economic structures over a bottle of wine until 2 am if you’re into that sort of thing. But we might want to recall that no system is inherently perfect nor inherently broken.
Can you picture the choir of executives, thousands packed into a confessional… or as we call them, conference?!
Forgive me, for I have sinned! And the holy father says, Oh my child, you must now “race to net zero” or “create a diversity pledge” or “donate to BLM” or “give yoga classes to the employees you’ve been abusing”...!
I tease, but I really enjoy these conferences. They’re a sort of mecca for world-shapers and paradigm-shifters. A re-up for those who worship at the altar of growth mindset.
By focusing on what works we can circumvent blame, shame, and other distractions from thriving business relationships and market health. Environmental & Social Governance), United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Social Impact, and Corporate Social Responsibility are more popular than ever because they represent forgiveness for capitalism and business.
But what if we didn’t condemn capitalism, money, and prosperity to begin with? What would you do with all the focus and energy you currently spend condemning?
What if we forgave this Western, United States version of Capitalism? On this July 4th, we celebrate. Not because we’ve overcome 400+ years of socio-economic, gender, racial, ethnic, or other subjugation. But because it feels great to forgive! And it feels even better to reclaim all that blame energy and to worship instead at the altar of what’s next.
So my beloved ESG, SDG, and Social Impact friends… let’s celebrate… the future is as bright as fireworks, my friend!