It seems like every time I turn on the news, someone is complaining about greedy corporations. Flip the channel, and the conversation is the same. Only this time it’s the government getting too greedy, and the guys on the other channel are just “Kool-Aid drinking ignoramuses”. And both sides, each calling for change but too ideologically entrenched to honestly and logically support their positions, resort to hyperbole, innuendo, and name-calling.
The truth of the matter though is that both sides are largely right. Anytime any institution gets too big and starts to look like a monopoly, its true colors start to emerge. This is true for both corporations and governments.
However, that being said, the only way either one of them is able to maintain its monopoly is through the assent of greedy individuals. Greed sends us to WalMart instead of our neighbor’s local store. And our greedy thirst for entitlements keeps greedy politicians in office.
Yes it is time for change, a revolution if you will. But it won’t come from crony capitalists, and it won’t come from crony bureaucrats either. Real change can only come from the ground up. That’s the way Gandhi did it. And that’s the way his two disciples, King and Mandela, did it too.
I find it quite interesting that a Southern Baptist minister (MLK) traveled to India in order to learn how to run a “Golden Rule” revolution (Mandela too for that matter). Gandhi, a devout Hindu, claimed to spend 2 hours a day studying and meditating on Jesus of Nazareth’s Sermon On The Mount. And he is widely quoted as saying “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Too many Christians have forgotten that Jesus’ self-proclaimed mission was to start a worldwide revolution, a “new kingdom” in the here-and-now based on the Golden Rule. You don’t have to be a Christian to believe in the Golden Rule. And you don’t have to be a Christian to believe that slavery, colonialism, segregation, apartheid, and greed are wrong. Unfortunately though, it often takes a non-Christian to understand that doctrine and the after-life were not Christ’s priorities!
Revolutions like those of Jesus, Gandhi, King and Mandela always and only start with individuals, people like you and me. To be a revolutionary though, you need to have the courage to act on your convictions. Not just when it’s easy, safe, and convenient, but when it’s hard and scary too.
Vote against greed at the ballot box by voting for small government, even if that means losing your precious “benefits”. Vote against greed with your wallet by shopping at your neighborhood small business, even if that means paying 50¢ more for a carton of milk. Vote against greed with your time by using it to invest in yourself and become a more valuable member of your community instead of waiting around for the minimum wage to be increased.
Instead, earn your raise by becoming a more valuable employee. Earn your retirement by living below your means and saving. Earn your freedom by starting your own business.
And at each step of your golden-rule journey, have the courage to send a fatal arrow deep into the heart of greed by putting the needs of others ahead of your own. For that really is the essence of the Golden Rule. Don’t wait ‘til you have “more time” or “more money”. Just as you’ll never be brave if you wait ‘til you’re not afraid to act, so you’ll never truly be “golden-rule generous” if you wait ‘til you have enough.
This is why I believe that every business needs to be a social enterprise, a golden rule business, from the very beginning. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always better late than never. But late always means lost opportunities and wasted potential; that much longer living under the shadow of greed.
So my challenge to you is this. Ask yourself “What can I do today to begin the revolution in my own life, my home, my community?” Imagine what your business would look like with a Golden Rule focus top to bottom, then go and make it happen now!
Dr. Lon Peckham provides comprehensive and wholistic dental care in Priest River, Idaho. He is a consultant certified in Lead Management and Choice Theory, Advanced Dental Implantology, as a Lifestyle Health Facilitator, and is currently pursuing certification by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. He helps Patients and Dentists successfully incorporate whole-health into their lives and practices.