by Cyrus J. Mehta
(a letter to the Editor of a local newspaper in Dubai in 2005, it was not published)
I
was absolutely appalled on Donald Trump citing his views
during the symposium of entrepreneurs last week. "When someone
does you in, you go after them get them and hit them hard.
It's good for self esteem" "Don't trust anyone" "Be paranoid"!
Is
this 2005 or 100,000 years BCE?
This
is a primitive thought process -Neanderthal!
The
view of this real estate and investment tycoon who amasses
wealth by his aggressive "survival of the fittest" approach
is a sign of a system that has lost its way. By system I
mean capitalism as we know it. I would like to think that
his voice is a minority, though my awareness says that the
reverse is more likely. How do people give credence to such
a ridiculous approach?
His
comments brought up to the fore my humanity which has been
and continues to be scrutinized by me vigilantly, day after
day. I have done the business school stuff, graduated Cum
Laude, worked in a multinational, etc. Then I initiated
this entrepreneurial drive into India offering the finest
technology to eliminate contaminated drinking water in the
rural areas, other eco-friendly technologies to eliminate
human exposure to hazardous environments like the inside
of a crude oil storage tank or tanker, a nuclear power reactor.
With
fledgling success
at best! Largely because of those with vested and special
interests who would try to scuttle the deal. Bureaucrats
who spend more time shuffling files with an intent only
to preserve their 'seat' from one govt. to another, stifling
creative thought. Others, in public office, under oath to
serve the public first, are more interested in exploiting
their position to enrich themselves and their families.
Competitors, who, in spite of knowing that our technology
is superior, used their behind-the-scene skills to kill
the transactions.
That's
the environment Donald Trump would thrive in whereas my
own ethics and good conscience would intercede. Where he
may work on 'all that is necessary to get the deal,' I would
not be willing to sacrifice my integrity, honour and my
commitment for the highest good of all concerned. Where
he would choose to be distrustful as the rule, I became
smarter each time I was cheated, and maintained my trusting
nature by choice.
One
the other hand, you have Anita Roddick, who also spoke at
the symposium in Dubai . What a woman! What a Human Being!
Hers is a vision that will help to transform the world.
Her vision is one that you and I ought to have. Her vision
and entrepreneurial drive created a multi million dollar
company. The Body Shop, now a public company, which still
operates with her vision of the way Big Business needs to
operate - radically different from the 'profit first, profit
last' context of operation in most corporations.
She
operates from a holistic point of view. She inspires me.
She will inspire you! Visit her website, www.anitaroddick.com
Join forces with her. Visit the websites that are linked
to hers.
There
is a one basic contextual shift that needs to occur if we,
humanity, can be sustained by our Living Planet.
Currently,
we live with a You OR I context, at all levels, individual,
family, community, corporate and inter-nation. We treat
each other like we are from different planets! Such views
are espoused by Donald Trump and his ilk, while the planet
and the majority of humanity are sliding down a precipice.
Unless
a shift to a You AND I context is made, life as we know
it could disappear in just a few generations.
We
need to think holistically - by which I mean all-inclusive.
A view which holds, that we are all in this together, as
humanity.
One
Humanity-One Planet! This context is the only way there
will be a world where our grandchildren will have an opportunity
to thrive and live happy and satisfying lives. Anita Roddick's
life, mine and indeed, many others operate in a You AND
I context. Where our inspiration and happiness emanate from
work and human interaction which makes the world a better
place for all.
This
is a quote from an article she put up this month on her
website titled "Slavery is NOT History".
" 12.3 million People worldwide are enslaved. That's
more than the entire population of the state of
Georgia in the United States or the entire nation of Cambodia
. That is more than the historic population of the great
Incan Empire. The labour of these modern slaves provide
their "employers" with upwards of $30 billion
a year in pure profit, and more than 50% of those profits
go into the pockets of businessmen and corporations based
in the U.S. and Europe. We should all be nauseated by the
numbers".
A
gentleman, Gary Day, wrote to 7 Days on April 7th about
how Dubai 's meteoric growth has been on the backs of lowly
paid labour. It was a comment that I wanted to applaud.
I take this opportunity
to acknowledge Gary Day for speaking the truth. He suffers
just like any human would suffer when he sees his fellow
men being treated so inhumanely and unfairly, while a minority
lives in comfort. Deplorable!
Just
today we hear about major charities also succumbing to the
need for profit and contracting 'sweat shops' in China for
millions of dollars worth of bracelets to be worn for a
life affirming cause. If that is not 'Irony' then I don't
know what is.
I
have been reading letters flying thick and fast about opinions
on peoples' dress codes. For pete's sake, we need to focus
on real issues that are threatening our existence as a species
on a planet that is being destroyed by us, rather than dress
codes. Tribes in Africa, Asia, South America and South East
Asia live naked, revere the land and respect each other
and all other human beings. Would that be an affront to
any religion? What utter nonsense. All religions, at their
core, recognise that there needs to be tolerance and an
acceptance of diversity and this, when practiced, will lead
to peace. These tribes are doing exactly what their culture
prescribes. So, are they heathens? There IS only one God,
by any name. And Gods love is unconditional. And how one
dresses, how one prays, are preferences we make, individually.
And every human is free to do so.
Like
the survival of our planet and our species, our individual
freedom is also under threat. There is no one way to God
that is better than another. Those who think like that are
not in touch with their humanity. What is needed most is
a sense of Humanity. Humanism - stressing an individual's
dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through
reason. There are as many ways to interact with God as the
number of people on the planet. Every individual's path
is his/her path. Why do we get into semantics? Why do we
constantly jostle for positions of advantage. It smacks
of the You OR I context and that does not work.
There
are more pressing issues that need our attention rather
than the pros and cons on hijabs and bikinis. The whole
universe is one big body of God. Everything is Divine. Life
is Divine. We should have respect for each other, for the
earth without pre-conditions.
Anita
Roddick and many others experience that and live their lives
in an exemplary manner.
On
the other end of the spectrum is the way of Donald Trump
and the legions of carpetbaggers and multinational corporations
where 'survival of the fittest' is the motto, where a You
OR I, dog-eat-dog context is in full maturity. It is deeply
painful to me that this approach is more prevalent at this
time.
Donald
Trumps way is primitive, life depleting. Approaches taken
by Anita Roddick, Neale Donald Walsch, and thousands of
other individuals and companies are holistic and life enhancing.
Alas, even while our numbers grow by the day, we are, as
yet, still a minority - nevertheless, an effervescent one
with unending tenacity.
Some
of us have been working on this for a long time, educating
people on this for a long time: That the only sustainable
path for humanity can ultimately only be a 'You AND I' context.
Or else life as we know it will disappear. The You OR I
approach is killing the planet.
My
own personal agenda has been to Transform Man's Environment,
both Inner and Outer and I have been working with this for
over 20 years.
I
leave you with a quote by George Soros, the well known billionaire
financier whose skill in playing with hedge funds is the
stuff of legend. And this is addressed primarily to all
those who endorse the You OR I context, the EGO-Centric
versus the ECO-Centric. To let you know, that there are
those in your camp who are fast realising that the
"survival of the fittest/wealthiest" approach is not working.
This
is what he says in an article a few years ago in an article
published in the Guardian News Services:
"Insofar
as there is a dominant belief in our society today, it is
the belief of the market-place. The doctrine of laissez-faire
capitalism holds that the common good is best served by
the uninhibited pursuit of self-interest. Unless this is
tempered with the recognition of a common interest that
ought to take precedence over particular interests, our
present system- which, however imperfect, qualifies as an
open society - is liable to break down."
That
is a man who has seen the inequality, the drug of greed,
man's incessant oppression and has evolved by recognising
his humanity. His words show his vote towards a holistic,
eco-centric context, where one's Humanity comes first and
all other preferences are secondary.