The moral tragedy of industrialism lies not in the fact that we are so
bent upon mastering the material resources of the world, but in the
abstraction of this mastery from the motives that started it going
and that give it its only meaning. But we have not quite smothered
ourselves with the works of our hands; the man within the business
man, fortunately, is commonly inconsistent with business philosophy.
Prosperity is not the measure of his satisfactions and desires. Though
surrounded by plenty, he is restless; though efficient, he has not yet
expressed himself. Something greater than industrialism is struggling
to be born.
The evidence of this inner struggle can be seen in Rotary clubs and
similar organizations, with their effort to promote friendliness among
competitors, their interest in some forms of public welfare, and their
emphasis upon “service” as the test of good business management.
This talk about “service” does not yet mean, of course, that Jesus’
principle has been adopted and selfish ends abandoned; it certainly
means that I make the largest profits by consulting my customer’s
interests as well as my own; but even so, it contains a glimmering
recognition that our real interests are mutual interests. Through this
recognition some warmth and enlargement are coming to the business
consciousness.
But there is another side to this consciousness--a side that likewise
speaks of satisfactions not yet found. When men become nervously
concerned for orthodoxy, assuming that an issue is already closed
and that they have the key to it, we may be sure that there is a
lurking skepticism within. Orthodoxy is organized distrust not only
of unbelievers but also of believers, oneself included. And business
orthodoxy grows apace!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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