Running a business is a self centred concern. It is rewarding for you, but what about the other people you’ve walked all over to get to the top? Take the recent recession and the world banking crisis – do you really think the bankers taking home their £1,000,000 bonus package at the end of the year really care about how that will impact the economy and the lives of other people around them? We have already seen that they don’t care.

(Also, consider the UK MP expenses crisis and you will see what I mean).

Businesses are important but it is the insatiable greed of the people running the business that cause the problems. Until people become more conscious of how their actions affect the world and the people around them, we will continue to live in a world of ‘me, me, me and screw the rest – as long as I’m alright.’ That is the problem.

For example, the world’s palm oil supplies are being farmed extensively (and illegally in some places) for the consumer to the detriment of destroying the rainforest and the natural habitat of the orangutans in South America. You may think to yourself ‘It can’t be helped – part of business.’ But – let me ask you this – if a business is not ethically or morally responsible for its actions, isn’t there a problem somewhere?

I have no problem with people who run a business. Not at all. I run a business myself. The problems start when people prioritise getting more and more over what they actually need. There is a huge problem in society and greed is at the very core.

Making money is fine. Investing is fine. Just be sure to do it with awareness and conscience. We hardly live in an enlightened world. If we did, perhaps human suffering would not be half as bad as it is today.