Conscious Capitalism

In my younger artist hippy days, I believe that “money was the root of all evil.” As I got older, I realized that money itself was not evil and could be used to do a lot of good – the problem was capitalism and how it was “driven by greed!” Then I realized that capitalism – like anything else – was not an instrument of evil either and also could be a vehicle for positive change. But how do you tell the “good” capitalists that are making a positive impact and those that focus on profit at any expense?

Well, have you heard of Conscious Capitalism?

“Conscious Capitalism builds on the foundations of Capitalism – voluntary exchange, entrepreneurship, competition, freedom to trade and the rule of law. These are essential to a healthy functioning economy, as are other elements of Conscious Capitalism including trust, compassion, collaboration and value creation.” – ConsciousCapitalism.org

This last week was the inaugural of the Conscious Capitalism San Diego chapter held at the University of San Diego Institute for Peace and Justice. It was inspiring event with great speakers and participants.

Now a “business person” myself (boy, the younger artist hippy me would never believe it!), I still have the core values of “doing good in the world” and as we witness Google’s Do No Evil philosophy and learn that Companies that Practice “Conscious Capitalism” Perform 10x Better that there may be hope yet for us Earthlings.