Thomas Friedman wrote several weeks ago about our interconnected yet uncertain future.
“In a world where our demand for Chinese-made sneakers produces pollution that melts South America’s glaciers, in a world where Greek tax-evasion can weaken the euro, threaten the stability of Spanish banks, and tank the Dow, our values and ethical systems eventually have to be harmonized as much as our markets. To put it differently, as it becomes harder to shield yourself from the other guy’s irresponsibility, both he and you had better become more responsible.”
Friedman cites Dov Seidman, the C.E.O. of LRN and author of the new book the “Era of Behavior.” Friedman notes,
“More and more of us are behaving by, what Seidman calls, ‘situational values’: I do whatever the situation allows. Think Goldman Sachs or BP. The opposite of situational values, argues Seidman, are ‘sustainable values’: values that inspire in us behaviors that literally sustain our relationships with one another, with our communities, with our institutions, and with our forests, oceans and climate. Of course, to counter this epidemic of situational thinking, we need more and better regulations, but we also need more people behaving better. Regulations only tell you what you can or can’t do in certain situations. Sustainable values inspire you to do what you should do in every situation.”
Friedman’s got it in a nutshell, and I couldn’t agree more. We need now more than ever before to make sure that every action we each take and every deliberation we engage in is done so with its potential impact on the next seventh generations first and foremost in our minds.
Jeffrey Hollender, Chief Inspired Protagonist, co-founder, and Executive Chairperson of Seventh Generation, is a well-respected leader in the socially and environmentally responsible communities. An entrepreneur at heart, his first business ventures were rooted in adult education. He began the not-for-profit organizations Skills Exchange of Toronto, a learning exchange that offered practical and professional development classes, and Network for Learning, New York City, an adult education and audio-publishing company; both were social and financial successes. After his tenure as president of Warner Audio Publishing, New York City, Jeffrey acquired a small mail order catalog of energy conservation products, Renew America, which eventually blossomed into Seventh Generation.
Jeffrey has led Seventh Generation from its humble beginnings to its current position as the leading and fastest-growing brand of natural products for the home, and the leading authority on issues related to making a positive difference in the health of the planet and its inhabitants through our everyday choices.
This post first appeared on the Inspired Protagonist.
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