As a result of the crisis of conscience and values that began in 2008, we are witnessing how the mentality of more and more citizens is changing, thus transforming the economic system in which we live. In fact, everything that has happened since then has not been good or bad. It has simply been necessary. Taking a bit of perspective, we conclude that crises are nothing more than turning points in our long history of social and economic transformations. In reality, they are the bridge between who we are and who we are meant to be.
The current systemic crisis is helping us to realize that we are evolving unconsciously. In broad strokes, we’ve created a system that forces us to work on projects we don’t believe in so we can buy things we don’t need. And on top of that, paying a very high price: the progressive dehumanization of our society, as well as the contamination of the environment, of which we are almost no longer a part.
It is also showing that as a society and as a system we still do not know who we are or where we are going. In addition, this lack of purpose and meaning creates a great emptiness within us. And as much as the culture of evasion and entertainment triumphs, we can’t fill it with anything from abroad. The problem is that we have started the house with the roof. We lack the most essential: the pillars on which to support it. And the solution is to learn what the crisis has come to teach us.
Among other lessons, it is revealing to us that the economy is like a game board that we have embedded on nature, in which three main players are related and interact through money: the system, companies and human beings. And all this is regulated by laws designed by the States, which in turn are subject to a higher law called “cause and effect”, by which each individual, organization and nation ends up reaping what they harvest.
SPIRITUAL POVERTY
“We seek something in consumption that it can never give us.”
(Erich Fromm)
Although capitalism has proven effective in promoting economic growth, it has been ineffective in promoting well-being and happiness in society. Negativity, stress, anxiety and depression are the most common diseases of our time. The paradox is that we are richer than ever, but also much poorer. In this case, the unconsciousness has consisted of wanting to grow for the sake of growing, without considering the purpose and consequences of said growth.
Companies, for their part, have established themselves as the predominant institutions. So much so that the world has become a business oriented towards maximising profit for organisations in the short term, regardless of the means they use to achieve it and the effects their excessive greed has on human beings and the planet we live in.
It is worth remembering that from a business perspective, everything that is alive is considered a “resource”. As such, it is used and exploited for mercantilist purposes. The lack of values and meaning has meant that the heart of the organisations – the people who make them up – has stopped beating. Most workers wake up on Monday mornings looking forward to Friday to start the weekend. Hence, the unproductiveness resulting from mechanistic management threatens the survival of the most socially irresponsible companies.
Whether we like it or not, these socio-economic circumstances are part of an evolutionary process for which we are all jointly responsible. And it is precisely the assumption of this personal responsibility that is the cornerstone of the new economic paradigm that is emerging. It is a seed from which the so-called “conscious economy” is beginning to sprout, the aim of which is for the system, business and human beings to cooperate to create truly efficient and sustainable social and economic welfare.
A NEW BUSINESS MENTALITY
“The goal of conscious business is to create wealth, making money as a result.”
(Fredy Koffman)
The first major challenge promoted by the conscious economy is corporate social responsibility, which consists of aligning the profit motive of companies with the humanisation of their working conditions and respect for the environment. Another characteristic is fair trade, which is committed to establishing a voluntary and equal trade relationship between producers and consumers, in a win-win situation.
At the same time, responsible and ecological consumption is also gaining strength, which invites us to buy what we really need instead of what we want, trying to support organisations that favour social peace and the conservation of the environment with our purchases. Finally, conscious saving, which consists of putting our money in ethical banks, which, unlike conventional banks, only invest in projects that really benefit society, is gaining more and more followers.
The transformation of companies and the system always begins with a change in the mentality of human beings. It is not for nothing that we design and execute the plans and objectives of companies. We consume their products and use their services. And ultimately, with the way we earn and spend money, we build the system we live in every day. Only by assuming that we are co-creators of the world we inhabit can we decide to change it, changing ourselves first. And, whether we want to see it or not, it is a choice we make every day.
