Be the Change

Friends!

I hope you had a successful week of decluttering! Based on your feedback, it seems like most of you either have experienced the benefits and joy of a simpler surrounding or are trying your best to get there!

This week, I am reflecting on changing the world vs changing ourselves.

As a young, inexperienced, and newly promoted CEO of a small but mighty hamburger chain in Sweden, I found myself in the crossfires of the persistent and long-standing tensions of capitalism. It became clear to me, via eggs thrown to my face and rather evil articles written about us, that the concerned intelligentsia of Sweden at the time (the early 1990s) had conveniently picked McDonald's as the target for almost all that was wrong with the world. Or, at least, it felt like that to me. And the list of complaints was long: ecosystem degradation, pollution, nutritional health, workplace conditions, antibiotics in animal feed, monoculturalism, etc.

I was confused. To say the least. How can so many complicated global issues be wrapped up (literally and figuratively) in something as simple and common as a hamburger? We served Swedish meat, bread, and potatoes. We had no other ambition than to give people a much-deserved break today!

But I am grateful. Because my confusion led me to exploration. I learned from my friend Brian Bacon that all problems are opportunities wrapped in fear, so I faced them head-on and went to school. The more I learned about the problems, the more I agreed with them. I found myself in an uncomfortable position. I recognized that they had a point. In doing so, I learned an invaluable lesson. You can agree with a problem without agreeing with a solution.

After almost a decade of very rewarding and by and large successful work, I became increasingly smitten and inspired by the idea that capitalism indeed can and should be more part of the solution of global issues. However, I also learned that many people disagree with that. Capitalism should focus on making money, they said. You have all heard it. “The business of business is business,” which originally was coined by Milton Friedman, had become more or less a religion. And, of course, the central theme of their argument was that when businesses focus on themselves, they maximize their efficiency, and in doing so, they maximize their benefit to broader society. And based on evidence of human progress, it was and still is difficult to at least not agree, directionally, with the fact that the liberalization of economies globally has contributed massively to an unparalleled improvement in the human condition.

If you want to hear more of the background story, you can listen to this interview here or read this old interview here. I share this background because it provides important context for two important observations I’ve had about how to best go about improving our world. And I have the scars to prove it!

First, our options are NOT binary. We don't have to choose between capitalism or socialism, between survival or giving up all the things we love. There is plenty of room in between.

As is the theme of this newsletter and many of my posts, our choices are always more complex, nuanced, and rich than what we are led to believe. Capitalism is such a great example. Free trade and free markets are possibly the greatest "system innovation" we have ever created. I am convinced of that. All other systems tried have led to tyranny, extinction of freedoms, and ultimately, complete loss of human dignity.

But, and this is a HUGE but, it doesn't mean capitalism is perfect. It needs to evolve. It needs more long-term thinking, more humility, and more inclusiveness. Shareholders are clearly one important stakeholder. But so are the many institutions surrounding them. In order to function, our society needs a myriad of important support structures. It’s what makes markets work in the first place. The pandemic has been a brutal reminder of how entire markets can disappear if challenges aren't dealt with collectively and forcefully by all institutions.

Second, and perhaps where I increasingly want to spend my time, the best way to change the world is to change ourselves.

I was given this poem along the way and I reflect on it often and completely and fully embrace its lesson.

“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”

— AUTHOR: UNKNOWN MONK 1100 A.D.

It's tempting to believe that we can change other people. Most of us that have tried have learned that it is really hard. In fact, it's hard enough to change ourselves. Policy and politics, of course, have important roles to play, in that they can set rules for what is rewarded and inspired, and thereby, over time, can shape culture and behaviors at large. Clearly, we must at least stop subsidizing things we want less of (bads) and stimulate things we want more of (goods).

But I think we have experienced the limits of politics for a long time now. We invest our hopes in solutions without practical input and in people, we don't know. It's time we lowered our expectations for what THEY can do and increased our expectations for what WE must do.

I often say that the mirror is the best tool to use when you want a different outcome. Our own daily choices can powerfully change and shape our world. In fact, it's really the only thing that will.

The pandemic has shined a light on our own behaviors. How personal responsibility became a political matter is both disappointing and very counterproductive. We all knew very early that this virus was very contagious. How it became a matter of politics whether we kept a distance, wore a mask, or got vaccinated is beyond tragic. If everybody did their part, the pandemic would probably be history by now. I can't think of a better example of when individual choices had such a massive impact on us all.

But let's flip that narrative. Let's learn from the virus and treat every human encounter as contagious. Because it actually is. Rather than disease, let's pass on light, positivity, and kindness. Let every human connection be a spark of possibility.

I know it sounds naive. And perhaps it is. But I have grown committed to the fact that the best way to change the world is to change ourselves. The rest is just drama and, to a large extent, a waste of time.

Here are a few great pieces to act as fodder for your own thinking:

• I truly enjoyed Arnold Schwarzenegger's piece in the Atlantic: Don't be a schmuck. Put on a mask.

• Alan Murray, Editor of Fortune, wrote a great summary on capitalism and the inherent debate between stakeholder and shareholder capitalism. Here is the argument against it and here is the argument for it. I am squarely and positively in the latter camp (in case you didn't know!).

• Rebekah Jefferis of FNDR wrote a beautiful piece on Idealism that I highly recommend. I share the sentiments here completely.

• I thought this post by Dr David Katz was really well written around MYOPIA and how so much of what we are suffering from is completely preventable whether we are talking pandemics or climate change.

• I'd bet you didn't (I certainly didn't) expect poverty to be dramatically reduced during the pandemic (45% decline!). We can and will argue about the reasons behind this reduction, but let's just pause and celebrate the fact that fewer people than ever are suffering from a lack of access to basic human necessities.

• Lastly, since I mentioned McDonald's in this post, I have always maintained that the role McDonald's plays in providing entry-level jobs for young people is incredibly valuable. What you learn in that fast food job is more important than people think. Yes, conditions could be improved and pay could be increased. But there are soft skills that will be valuable for future careers. This report and study showed just that and there have been many powerful studies done before that actually show that if you started your career at McDonald's you might outperform others later in life. So here's to all restaurant and hospitality jobs. They are the great springboards for a successful career!

Be the change!