Week 45: Challenging the Illusion of Human Needs

Dear all,

There is a great illusion that humans need compassion, rights, freedom, and the ability to evolve in every segment of their lives. This is not true. We want to belong. Even if belonging entails humiliation, deception, and even pain, we want to belong nonetheless. It’s an inverted reality, where a convicted felon is an emperor, lies are truths, and natural disasters are seen as divine punishments. Gravity no longer exists. The laws of physics no longer apply. Gutted voices lie hidden deep inside, floating like ghost ships. Fear rules humankind. Some would say it’s self-interest; I disagree. Books will be written about emperors. Wars will be fought, deals will be made, people will forget and remember. Time is either linear or one-dimensional. Regardless of your perspective, the spiritual meaning of the dimension of reality we are willingly entering now is a dimension of fear. We deserve the politicians and business leaders we get (in most cases). Right now, we have three empires—one ruled by a Russian tsar, and we have emperors in the U.S. and China. The age of democracy is slowly coming to its end, with us as passengers. Sustainable transition is as much about democracy as it is about planetary boundaries and monstrous carbon emissions. In an authoritarian world, there is no sustainable transition. Full stop. It is about the people. About us.

Democracies die divided, and our world is divided. Yet we all know what we are truly capable of if we are not afraid. Narratives play a crucial role when it comes to fear. A fear-inducing narrative encourages us to maintain the status quo rather than pursue beneficial change, as change itself is often fear-inducing. The fear of change often outweighs the fear of a burning platform. Even when there are clear signs that the platform may be burning, it is often easier to tell ourselves a story that it isn’t, rather than confront the fear of building a new one. Nowhere is this truer than in business. To avoid the fear of trying new, challenging things, business leaders create numerous exculpatory narratives.

Business leaders are increasingly criticized for their reluctance to make long-term investments. Yet, when bold but risky long-term investments are needed, they tell themselves that investors are only interested in the short term and will punish any deviation from immediate progress. Those advocating for environmental sustainability are waging an ever more aggressive battle against corporations. However, when business leaders feel pressured by environmentalists for greater corporate responsibility, they tell themselves that, deep down, investors don’t truly care about sustainability—they just want performance. When facing activist pressure for transparency, they tell themselves that the more data they disclose, the more vulnerable they become. When pressed to ensure ethical sourcing, they reason that taking responsibility for their entire value chain is too high a risk. You get the idea.