Diverse Ethics and the Business of Saving the Planet: A Discussion with Dr. Atul Shah @ HereNow4U

Forbes Magazine

Dr. Atul Shah, Photograph Courtesy of Dr. Shah

Freeway traffic at night, Osaka © M. C. Tobias

Prayer in the Ummayad Mosque, Old City of Damascus © M. C. Tobias

Neotropical deforestation © M. C. Tobias

Central Alaska © M. C. Tobias

Crowned Victoria Pigeon © M. C. Tobias

Young monks at Paro Dzong, Bhutan © J. G. Morrison

In a Japanese moss garden © J. G. Morrison

The remarkable Michael Aufhauser at Gut Aiderbichl, Henndorf, Photo by Juergen Weyrich, Courtesy Gut Aiderbichl, Salzburg, Austria

Jain pilgrims in Pushkar, India © M. C. Tobias

Bhutanese prayer flags © J. G. Morrison

Ancient Jain statuary of Mahavira, Ellora Caves, India © Robert Radin

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Suriname © M. C. Tobias

A global ethic and life force of interdependency in the eyes of an Orangutan in Borneo © M. C. Tobias

St. Francis in New Mexico © M. C. Tobias

Dr. Atul K. Shah is author of Celebrating Diversity, and Boardroom Diversity - The Opportunity. He is the founder and CEO of Diverse Ethics. A qualified Chartered Accountant who has worked with numerous charities and public institutions, Dr. Shah was a Lecturer at the University of Bristol, University of Maryland, and University of Essex. He was the founding editor for the distinguished Jain Spirit international magazine and has helped shape growing global awareness and perception of Jain culture - one of the most remarkable business-oriented non-violent cultures in human history.

Dr. Shah has broadcast on BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and BBC Asian Network and helped launch the BBC website on Jainism. He is passionate about helping leaders engage with diverse wisdom and use it to transform organizational behavior.

Michael Tobias (MT): How do you interpret “diverse ethics” and why is it so critical an injunction for business practices and thinking in the 21st century?

Atul Shah (AS): We live in a hugely diverse world, but as far as business is concerned, there appears to be only one overriding ethic - profit. Nature is rarely seen as a teacher.

MT: Profit, and the convenient, all expedient logic of “market forces.”

AS: We create our markets, so we should ensure that they do not become our master, but remain our servant. The obsession with profit has done a huge amount of damage to people, animals and the environment and gives importance and primacy to money and its accumulation. Money is an artificial commodity - people, nature and animals are real.

The pursuit of profit has actually plundered timeless human and animal cultures and values and made them irrelevant or powerless, consciously and sub-consciously. Your own profound books and films on this theme, especially Environmental Meditation, have hugely inspired me in my work.

MT: I appreciate that. I am grateful to hear you reference “animal cultures.” But tell me, what does Diverse Ethics do to reverse these trends?

AS: We encourage leaders to develop a holistic vision of the world, to understand and respect different cultures and belief systems, and at the same time learn from the values and principles which have truly sustained themselves through thousands of years. We do this by taking those stewards of industry and other leaders on experiential journeys into profound living cultures and wisdom(s).

They discover values like love, humility, compassion, forgiveness, respect for nature and animals, simplicity, contentment and generosity alive and vibrant here in the 21st century amongst these communities. Sadly, the hugely powerful modern corporate world has grown far astray from these timeless values, at a huge cost to the planet and our ecosystem.

MT: Do these values, in your estimation, have any hope of lasting traction in today’s heavily capitalistic environment?

AS: I believe they do. Indeed, these ideas are both heavily relevant and necessary for our time - they need to be understood by business leaders and implemented in their personal lives as primers for organizational transformation.

We help leaders transform their thinking, actions and operating methods and structures. Then business can truly become a force for a better society and planet.

MT: How do you relate a diverse ethical business model to a diverse ecosystems model? The realization by all business leaders, and consumers worldwide that climate change is catastrophic, rapid, and all-encompassing requires of those same business leaders and consumers some kind of individual and collective moral change, no?

AS: Michael, this is a major challenge in the world today and you are very right in identifying it and focusing on it. Multinational corporations have huge resources and impact on the planet, but rarely do we see them giving leadership in terms of promoting peace, compassion for all living beings and a responsible lifestyle. They try to avoid accountability for their actions and instead of becoming model citizens, they have become the instruments of spreading greed and exploitation in the world.

For most business leaders, climate change is not even on their radar - their thinking is very short term and stock markets also focus on short-term performance.

The planet is only of concern to the extent that it would help deliver a profit. It is shocking that in a global recession, the only salaries that are going up are those of the senior management - this speaks volumes about how much (read: how little) they care for others, and what they really value. It signals to the employees that they are less important and nature has no voice.

Managers speak the rhetoric on sustainability, without changing their behavior. If climate change technologies are profitable, they would rush to implement these, not for the sake of protecting the planet, but for the sake of profit. Western philosophy and science are also to blame as they are primarily materialistic and do not engage with the spiritual essence of all living beings.

MT: So, in your opinion, philosophy and science continue to perpetuate an absence of recognized interdependency?

AS: Absolutely. We have produced whole systems of education and science which are primarily based on the conquest and manipulation of nature - it is not at all easy to transform that thinking in spite of the current climate change crisis.

That is a major reason why western leaders really struggle with concepts like environmental preservation and climate change - they have always believed that the human being is supreme and life is about power, indulgence and self-satisfaction.

In contrast Eastern philosophy has emphasized the importance and humility of ‘ahimsa’ (respect for all living beings) as a central virtue for thousands of years and monks and nuns have lived by this principle and become role models for whole communities and societies.

Even when nature was abundant and there was no threat of climate change, sages like Buddha and Mahavira emphasized living a simple life, without waste or exploitation.

Their approach to environmental respect was not borne out of fear or threat, but out of truth and integrity. Business leaders need to learn from their lives and philosophies to help them deal positively with climate change and environmental degradation.

MT: This is, clearly, the living, breathing ideal. So many of us in what might be described as “transformational ecological ethics,” or “applied ethics” are looking to the corporate world for a level of governance that accommodates commensuralism, biophilia, symbiosis at all levels - what in ancient Jain canons is described as Parasparopagraho Jivanam (Sanskrit: परस्परोपग्रहो जीवानाम् Parasparopagraho Jīvānām), or “souls render service to one another,” mutual interdependency - a hallmark of modern-day ecological ethics.

But how does Diverse Ethics help in building bridges of respect, tolerance and wisdom? Mere words, to most people, glib and easily dismissed?

AS: We organize and facilitate cultural visits and encounters, to help leaders experience the beauty and wisdom of timeless traditions like those pervasive throughout the Hindu, Sikh and Jain traditions. Genuine experience is truly transformative, and remains in the memory for a long time. Prominent leaders like Sir Andrew Motion, Lynne Sedgmore CBE and Mr. Gavin Grant, the Chief Executive of the RSPCA, the oldest animal welfare charity in the world have told us how profound these experiences have been for them.

In the busy world that we live in, people know very little about other cultures and their wisdom and depth. Employers see culture as irrelevant - qualifications and skills are what interviewers focus on. As a result, there is a tendency to stereotype and prejudice grows.

In reality, culture is key to performance as it shapes personal attitude, behavior, values, integrity, self-discipline and motivation.

We educate and inform, through leadership interviews and articles on our website and help leaders value cultural diversity and respect people through genuine understanding and engagement and not superficial tolerance. In 2010, I embarked on a 1500 mile epic Masala Tour of Britain to showcase the living story of Indian Wisdom and its transformative impact on British culture and society. We help leaders understand their unconscious biases, and show them ways of rising above them in order to enrich their lives and inspire others to reduce their ignorance and prejudice. Our work boosts cultural intelligence, helping leaders to recruit from diverse cultures, and harness the creativity and talent that this brings.

MT: You have devoted your life to the promotion of Jain wisdom - one of the oldest and most profound cultures of compassion in the world today. What has the Jain philosophy to offer the business world in these times?

AS: Jain philosophy places a primary focus on peaceful self-reflection and introspection. It regards human birth as a unique opportunity for the soul to attain liberation and immortality from the cycle of birth and death. The principle of ‘Ahimsa’ calls upon us to live our life with a minimum of harm to all living beings. As a result, compassion, love and generosity are everyday instinctive acts for most Jains.

This holistic world-view helps us understand the impact of our actions on the environment and climate, and enables us to live responsibly and sensitively.

MT: In a conversation I had in these pages of Forbes last Summer with Shri Chitrabhanuji
he spoke of Jain Dharma, and of non-violence most assuredly beginning with the self. How has this abetted the transformation of Jain individuals into ethical businessmen and women.

AS: This living ethic has helped us become one of the most successful business communities in the world, not because we are driven by greed and power, but because we are motivated by hard work, wisdom, simplicity and honesty. We are also one of the most charitable communities in the world today. Our behavior helps people to trust us and respect us and people are drawn to our personality and character. As a result we have become leaders and role models in whatever field we choose to operate in. And this is done very quietly, without pomp or ceremony and with humility - Jains are often invisible and do not shout about their culture and values.

Business leaders have a huge amount to learn from this philosophy. It offers a practical solution to respecting biodiversity and living ethically, with a light footprint. Once behavior and character is transformed, it will have a significant impact on organizational culture and ethos - leaders will become an example to their employees, and their decisions and actions will be respectful of the planet. And they will personally experience less stress and more peace and happiness in their lives.

MT: Thank you, Atul. Jai Jinendra.

AS: My pleasure, Michael!