Surviving Versus
Living
We all strive to survive. The lucky ones get a job,
meaningful work, somebody to love and be loved, a family and we carry on. We
search for meaning in our activities and are happy when we find it. We have
adapted to survive.
When confronted with uncomfortable situations we evaluate
the cost to self, family and take a pragmatic decision most of the time. There are
times when we flounder but we get back to living the median life. Few recent
instances, why recent-instances throughout history make me wonder and question
few basic assumptions. Are we born only to achieve our own salvation? This
could be either in pursuit of knowledge, wealth, materialistic conquests or
nirvana! We use family, friends, and colleagues to facilitate this journey of
discovery-whichever path we take. Everyone helps the other in this journey.
The problem arises when we become greedy. But what does
greedy mean? Consuming more than what one produces? It is not greed but the
route we take to satisfy the greed which becomes dangerous and detrimental to
self and others. We have uncanny ability to justify our actions. We may justify
it in the name of larger good, good of the family, good of the organization,
good of the country, good of the mankind.
To believe in the theory of efficient market is tempting.
Market correction comes at a huge cost. Is this an inevitable price to pay? As humans
can’t we change? Can’t we up our ante and reduce the acceptance of collateral
damage? Fight the battle of corruption, ineptitude, mediocre living.
Let me give examples for this rambling.
1.
Pharmaceutical industry has done great good to
human beings. Many killer diseases are maimed with help of potent drugs. But
there is a dark side also. Data manipulation, shoddy research, publication
bias, unethical marketing. Ranbaxy-an Indian drug company paid fines for
criminal charges to FDA. The list goes deeper. Last year, five pharmaceutical companies agreed to pay nearly $5.5 billion
to resolve U.S. Department of Justice allegations of fraudulent marketing
practices, including the promotion of medicines for uses that were not approved
by the Food and Drug Administration. If you take last 10 years, 30 years, the
numbers will be staggering. Do not wish to be a cynic. Basically believe in the
goodness of human beings but at individual level we are gullible and malleable.
If you want to read more....
2.
Banks and innovation in commerce, economics has
been the backbone of all development. The emergence of capital and deployment of
the same to the entrepreneurs unleashed the unlimited potential of all fields.
For good or bad, the financial world and its machinations are intrinsically woven
into each and everyone’s life. But again we are at the mercy of unseen,
uncontrollable forces. Manipulations, greed and superior sense of belief in
finance can create havoc and cause damage to human lives more than spurious
drugs, war or any imaginable terror. Financial terror is the most potent of all. It
has the best brains at its disposal for this task. Apologize for the
generalization, there are good guys and therefore we exist!!
a.
Bank fines top $10 billion last year. http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/28/news/companies/bank-fines/index.html
b.
10 Biggest Banking Scandals of 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2012/12/27/10-biggest-banking-scandals-of-2012/
c.
Everything is Rigged: The Biggest Price Fixing
Scandal Ever
d.
An interesting blog read about banking fraud.
3.
We all have to live. To live we need food,
water, and other basic amenities. Our ability to survive has improved with aid
of all the tools we have created. Organizations –large, medium and small are
all required. They employ us, sell goods to us and allow the world to keep
moving. We are all happy to be in this age of consumerism. We will find
solution to all our problems. But there are some dark corners on which we need
to shed light once in a while.
Apple
,Google, Amazon legally did not pay taxes to tune of trillion dollars/Euros
exploiting the laws. People may justify saying that they create more employment
than government and that there is nothing wrong in them maximizing their
skills. They are doing a favor to shareholders and future consumers. Larger
good! But there are many who break the rules, disregard the norms and cause
damage.
a.
Tech companies which have paid fines. http://www.siliconindia.com/news/technology/9-Tech-Companies-Who-Paid-Biggest-Fines-In-History-nid-144122-cid-2.html
b.
Fines paid by General Electric (GE) for various
reasons. http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2001/01july-august/julyaug01corp4.html
c.
Siemens paid a huge fine in 2008 but has
reformed after that. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2013/04/01/qa-peter-solmssen-of-siemens/
d.
Walmart for its own internal problems. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2013/04/01/qa-peter-solmssen-of-siemens/
The outsourcing problems as the bad manufacturing and living conditions
are somewhere else. This can also be justified saying that they at least got
employment and there were dollars saved. The tragedy that happened in garment
factory located in Bangladesh. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/walmart-bangladesh-factory-fire
e.
We owe a lot to oil companies. From fuel to
plastics to pharmaceuticals we are all dependent on them. But….Gulf Of Mexico
disaster. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/21/bp-oil-spill-gulf-mexico-fines
Probably I can compile a bigger list. Name even more reputed and
collapsed companies, individuals, countries which have broken the trust placed
in them. Talk about genocide, mafia, drugs, human trafficking etc.
So what point am I making? Whistleblowers are good. Each one of us needs
to start living. Becoming active in areas which we understand and where we can
create awareness. Our perceptions and beliefs may be wrong. We may have been fooled
by data and information but we need to ask questions. We need to live and just
not survive.
Let us learn to grow meaningfully,
sustainably, and cohesively. Growth need not come at a cost which is painful.
We need to realign our vision, mission.
The
larger good triumphs but it needs soldiers.
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