On this World Environment Day we are challenged to dream of a better future. I dare to imagine a world in which we work together for planetary health in the interest of our mutual well being. I can envision a time when political partisanship gives way to common sense. When all inhabitants of the globe work together for the betterment of our world. A time when the golden rule informs popular culture, corporate governance and political action.
In such a world we will share a common interest rooted in the preservation of nature, the substrate of all life. We will do so because we understand that we are all dependent on the bounty of this Earth. This is a world in which the strong protect the weak. This is a world in which we work to preserve all the constituents of the web of life. A world in which we share resources in a way that precludes the kind of aggression that makes losers of us all.
We will work cooperatively because we understand that we are all better served when we pool our intellectual and creative resources. However, we will each contribute our unique gifts and talents. Capital will serve us all and we will not be made subservient to each other or the pursuit of wealth.
These are the values that I strive to put into practice each day, these are the values that I live for and these are the values that I share with my children, my family, my friends, my colleagues and my clients.
This is more than self interest or lofty idealism. This is the beating heart of pragmatism and our only hope for survival. This is a way of life informed by a deep understanding of our mutual interdependence.
