By convention, Growth is measured by GDP, which represents the value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year. However, the increase in Gross Domestic Product can create the illusion that prosperity is widespread. GDP increases, but inequalities can worsen. While economic growth is vainly displayed, economic and social fractures remain hidden under the blanket of GDP. The intrinsic value of human beings requires that the increasing volume of GDP be subordinated to the quality of the economy. The commitment to produce, market and consume more does not take into account the fact that quantity is not synonymous with quality. It would be appropriate for a cognitive conflict between quantity and quality to arise, starting with schools, which, by educating people to appreciate the services rendered by trees, pollinating insects, and flocks, would prompt a change in the parameters for measuring GDP that excludes these services. Today, do investments aimed at education lead to qualitative growth in GDP or, even better, to the affirmation of alternative indices that evaluate subjective well-being, health, life expectancy, justice, freedom, generosity and, ultimately, happiness?
Innovation puts start-ups on the stage. What culture prevails among company founders? It is worth reflecting on the position taken by Steve Jobs. The founder of Apple expressed himself as follows: “I hate it when people call themselves ‘entrepreneurs’ when, in reality, what they are trying to do is launch a start-up and then sell it or list it on the stock exchange. They are not willing to do the necessary work to build a real company, which is the most challenging work in business. This is how you make a contribution and add to the legacy of those who came before you. You build a company that will continue to represent something even in a generation or two”.
We have to question the prevailing culture when a revolutionary invention is born. Is the invention not nurtured and supported, but obstructed and mistreated by the “merciless struggle of commercial existence”, as Nikola Tesla, known for his contributions to the modern alternating current electricity supply system, condemned?
Sustainability is the order of the day because in sixty years, between 1961 and 2021, the human burden on Nature has increased 7 times if measured by GDP at constant prices and 2.5 times in terms of population. In the year 1000, only about 0.3 billion people lived on the planet; by 1900, the number had increased to 1.65 billion, and by 1950, it had already reached 2.5 billion. We have now passed the threshold of 8 billion. Sustainability requires a vision that emphasises well-being and ethical considerations within economic systems. Well-being lies in creating a sustainable environment for humans, animals, plants, microorganisms, and, ultimately, for Nature in its many facets, including natural objects such as mountains, seas, rivers, and lakes. Well-being and ethics are closely linked. Along this line of thought, in corporate accounts, alongside profits and losses, human behaviours that influence and are influenced by Nature in various ways —physical (including climate) and natural (living organisms) — should come into play.
The seeds of the culture, comprising Growth, Innovation, and Sustainability, are formed within the mother plant, whose name is School. This is aimed at enriching the next generation with knowledge so that, from childhood, they can think for themselves and grasp the intricacies of the trio. Rich in specialised knowledge, we live with our feet on the ground, but we fall into the holes dug by new technologies that make experience obsolete. Rich in all-round knowledge, we envision scrutinising the future with new eyes to broaden our horizons.
