A Horse is a Horse (Draft)

Here are some disappointing things I’ve noticed recently:

1. Value of a stock is related to how much people want to buy a stock, not how good or nice the company is. Google may have issues with this.
2. Doing well on tests means that you are good at taking tests, not necessarily that you are smart.
3. Companies are in business to make money, not to be nice. Niceness must show up on the bottom line or you’re just wasting money that could be used to be even nicer.

At work there is a trend toward understanding the financial effect of everything we do. While tedious at times, it is important to respect the company’s need to make money. It’s not about being naughty or nice–no one can be nice to their employees if they go out of business.

But is this just the way things are, or a fault in the underlying structure of our economy? Why can’t our businesses be concerned with society at large just because it’s right? Why can’t we help others unless it’s financially intelligent to do so?

I’ve supported a number of causes because I believe that doing good things will “pay off” in the end; if it weren’t so, is it just stupid to follow that road?