Being in business is not about making money at any cost. Instead, it is about trying to make money the right way. It’s not always easy. But we should still try our best.
As to what is right and what is wrong is not really something that can be imposed from high, though some authorities like to think that they can bully people and force businesses into submission.
Sure, there are laws that guide us to determine what is legally allowed and what could land us in court. But there is another type of law, namely, natural law, that has its foundations in ethics.
We don’t need reams of legislation to tell us that oppression is wrong. We don’t need anyone to tell us that discrimination is heinous. We know that taking what doesn’t belong to us is despicable. And we all know that committing genocide is evil.
But some governments think they can pressurise businesses through threats of reprisals, constant gaslighting and blatant propaganda. However, natural law always prevails in the long run.
Any company that condones crimes against humanity – even if it is by remaining silent when they should be speaking up – does not deserve to be in business. Nor should we support those companies through our patronage.
We should also think twice about buying their shares, regardless of how attractive they might be.
Some people might say that investing is hard enough without imposing additional constraints. But as we have seen, whilst ESG was a fringe issue in the past, the environment, social issues and governance have now gone mainstream….
…. that is natural law working in real time.
Same goes for bullies. They might like to think that they can ride roughshod over natural law. They might even succeed in the short term. In the end, though, natural law will always hold them to account…
… So, try to stay on the right side of natural law. It is a much nicer place to be.
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David does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned.
