I was at an All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group breakfast at the House of Commons this week; the subject was 'Growing or green - can businesses expand and stay ethical?'. Gathered were various MPs from all parties as well as entrepreneurs and influential people from various organisations.
One of the speakers was Andrew Valentine - co-founder of Streetcar, a pay-as-you-go car club which provides cars across the country for occasional use. So many people are now using this car share system instead of owning a car that every car they provide takes 6 off the road.
The other was David Boomer Head of Climate Change at the Institute of Directors.
There followed a debate about business and green issues and every time the discussion came down to one thing: MONEY. Eventually I made the observation that the thing that we had to change first before we could make any real in-roads to saving the environment was to move away from Capitalism; that the current financial meltdown had been caused because there was no real value underlying the huge growth of the past decade (all the money was borrowed and we now find never existed), and that given Gordon Brown's ambition to create a new 'global financial architecture' government actually has the golden opportunity NOW to do this.
Stunned silence from all present and then a flippant comment from the chair Andy Love, Labour MP for Edmonton who later blanked me.
After the meeting David Boomer said to me, 'What you said back there was pretty radical, but what I think you were trying to say was that what we need to do is move away from money as the measure for everything and replace it with a measure of true wealth.' Which I thought was a pretty succinct way of putting it.
True wealth = happiness, health, harmony, safety & prosperity, not just for oneself or one's family, but ultimately for everyone in the world.
I was laying in bed during one of my 3am wakeful moments recently, thinking to myself what would I call this new way of being?
Us humans have tried Capitalism, Communism, Facism, Marxism and then of course we have the great religions of the world all worthy, but also the reason for great violence and conflict.
The word I settled on was Harmonism.
Harmonism would celebrate the value of every individual but would have no space for ego.
Harmonism would recognise the desire for abundance, but have no room for greed.
Harmonism would encourage the magnificent energy of every individual but have no place for power.
Its values would be:
COLLABORATION
CREATIVITY
CONSERVATION
COMMUNITY and
CONTENTMENT
After the above thoughts had streamed through to me I went on Google and found a site for Harmonism, already sitting there in beauty and simplicity, saying much the same things.
I looked for the name/s of the person/people behind Harmonism - but there are none on the site. Why am I surprised? Of course there are no names! There don't need to be any.
Do Direct Marketing initiatives and Search Engine Optimisation all you like - a far more powerful way of communicating is to send your positive energy out to the Universe and let others who are tuned in to catch the essence of your thoughts.
Perfect synchronicity.
This is how Harmonism will spread - which is why the 'lightworkers' are simply focusing on helping people raise their vibration so they too can get 'tuned in'.
There IS great change coming, and this is how it will happen.
About Rachel
- Rachel Elnaugh
- Bakewell, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
- ...is one of Britain’s highest profile female entrepreneurs. Having started her working life as an office junior, at the age of 24 she created the market leading experiences brand Red Letter Days on a shoestring budget from the front room of her home. Red Letter Days went on to generate over £100million in turnover in the 16 years that she ran it, and in doing so pioneered the UK's £250 million experiences sector. This earned her an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2002, as well as being short listed for the 2001 Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year award. In early 2005, Rachel shot to fame as one of the original Dragons in BBCTV's BAFTA nominated cult business show Dragons’ Den. After the well-publicised crash of Red Letter Days in 2005, Rachel became heavily involved in the Small Business Sector and recently won the IAB 'UK Champion of Entrepreneurship' award for 2008. Her unique Entrepreneurial Profiling Test was launched in 2007 and you can take the test free by visiting www.rachelelnaugh.com. Rachel's first book 'Business Nightmares' was published by Crimson in May 2008.
46 comments:
Rachel
Do you think you have always been this spiritual or has this been awoken by your experiences?
I guess what I am asking is how do you square your current outlook with the one you had during the days of RLD and Dragon's Den?
C
You may remember the time George Galloway was summoned to the U.S to stand before a committee of officials on the grounds of financial irregularities with transactions concerning Iraq.
I remember one of the officials trying to back him into a corner with a yes or no answer.
To which he continued to reply:::::
"I CAN DO BETTER THAN A YES OR NO ANSWER - I CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!"
There was nothing they could say to him - because he was steadfast that he would give them something better in return for their question. He was going to give them the truth.
My point is that he wasn't avoiding telling the truth. He was avoiding being locked into a trajectory that was designed to manipulate him and in fact extract false truth.
He recognised that the world is not duality. The world is more than yes or no, good or bad, beauty or ugliness. To get to the truth, one must see past the mental filter of duality that we have all been programmed to believe.
Harmonism really can exist. Lets see it added to the english dictionary - if it isn't already!
Thank you Rachel.
A similar conversation came up a few months ago when Nicolas Sarkozy asked if a country's growth should be measured on something more than GDP:
http://bit.ly/gwcxy
C, "Ihow do you square your current outlook with the one you had during the days of RLD and Dragon's Den?"
When one stands perfectly erect, confident and noble, then ones body is thus considered an emblem of ones mind.
DLOG
Is it just me or is the sycophancy on this blog reaching epic proportions?
With the exception of 'Mr A Dragon', whose intention is merely to play with DLOG and Stephen (guys can you not see he is winding you up) I'm beginning to feel like a lone voice of dissent.
C
It's not sycophancy C, they simply agree with me. They too agree that there has to be a better way of organising the world.
If I gave you a beautiful shiny abundant planet and said OK you can organise yourselves any way you like, would you seriously decide that things should be run the way they currently are?
Accepting the status quo because you just don't think it can be changed is to me just criminal!
As regards the spirituality thing, we are all on a journey, and I have been quite fortunate to have attracted some very wise and spiritual people into my life who have influenced me greatly.
R
C, can you not see that Mr A Dragon is prime winding up material!!
Furthermore, God blessed me with 2 ears, all be it I am almost totally deaf in 1 of them, and about 50% in the other, but I do not let wind ups get to me, in 1 ear out the other, you see I learn't, I have 3 women at home heehee!!
With all due respect to Rachel, one has to have some banter also on here, or maybe not, please advise!!
DLOG
I think the fawning adulation goes way beyond mere agreement.
Putting that aside though, I don't think anyone here is suggesting sticking with the status quo. Sadly we don't have a shiny new planet and therefore any change has to be affected from the current state.
Whilst waiting for the giant to awake, I think it is beholden on all of us to try and do what we can to improve things for those around us. Instead of focussing on the big picture, fix stuff at the lowest level and the big picture will take care of itself. That's the real power of bottom up, numerous acts of small change can aggregate into something significant.
C
C, corect, we don't have a shiney new planet, but we must use what we have.
It is all about honesty to the majority, unless the average man (and woman) make that stand and start to be open and honest things will never change.
A man/woman on there own can not make changes, it needs a group to implement change, NO LIES or DECEIT from those in power, they, must start to listen to what mr/Mrs average want, the general public must stand up and be heard. The onus cannot and must not lie with just the likes of the Rachels of the world, every one must be involved in the restructure of this world.
DLOG
I saw this link shortly after reading this blog entry
http://sunrise-production.org/Unity_Movie1.html
You might have probably seen it already and if so I apologise for spamming, but Rachel is right, I believe there is another way...
Roll on 2012!
Jon...
C, Said... "Is it just me or is the sycophancy on this blog reaching epic proportions?"
Rachel Replied... "It's not sycophancy C, they simply agree with me. They too agree that there has to be a better way of organising the world."
There is more to this answer Rachel & C,
It is something called Charisma,
Deffinition;
"The word charisma (origin from the Greek word χάρισμα (kharisma), "gift" or "divine favor," from kharizesthai, "to favor," from kharis, "favor") refers to a rare trait found in certain human personalities usually including extreme charm and a 'magnetic' quality of personality and/or appearance along with innate and powerfully sophisticated personal communicability and persuasiveness."
Of course you (C), may also be Charismatic, perhaps one day we will find out, but it is a fact that 2 Charismatic people will never attract each other, in fact they may even clash.
DLOG
C Said - "With the exception of 'Mr A Dragon', whose intention is merely to play with DLOG and Stephen (guys can you not see he is winding you up) I'm beginning to feel like a lone voice of dissent."
C, I respect your views. I remain here for 2 reasons, the first to support you against those whose minds are so enthralled that they have lost the power to think for themselves.
The second is that deep down, DLOG and Stephen, need my help and I will not abandon them in thier hour of need.
Progress is being made and eyes and minds are opening as if from a trance-like sleep.
If we abandon this task, it will be a case of the man-in-the-street being shouted down by those with more influence and power than ourselves.
This is in fact the reverse of the Utopia of which they speak.
Charisma has been mentioned and a definition given. It does not contain words such as Truth, Right, Goodness, only the ability to control.
Here endeth lesson No. 10.
Grasshopper, "The second is that deep down, DLOG and Stephen, need my help and I will not abandon them in thier hour of need."
Why would we need your help I/we have our own views and visions, they just do not happen to match yours. Surely this individuality is what makes a world go round.
I am sure that if either or myself or Stephen needed as you say help, we would know who to ask and where to go, I certainly do, I have a method in my madness and that is, to gather all neccessary information I can from a wide range of people, then and only then will I sort my problem, that is of course if I have one.
So the lesson for you today is communication and respect of others views.
DLOG
Mr A Dragon
Whether you are serious in your attempts to enlighten others or are simply mischeviously playing them at their own game, only you know. However, your posts certainly provoke!
DLOG - Unlike you I have never met Rachel nor I guess am I likely to. I suspect we'd argue quite a bit but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not sure its a clash of charisma, more likely a simple clash of views.
C
C, why are you not likely to meet Rachel, that sounds very defeatist for an entrepreneur that you appear to be!
Secondly, why would you argue, why can't you DEBATE, a much more constructive word don't you think?
Just because 2 or more people don't see eye-to-eye it does not mean that that is the be all and end all of things, this is how the human race learns, this is how we get a true character of someone, facial expressions add to our conversation, something that just words cannot express no matter how articulate one is with their literay skills.
DLOG
C
I thank you for your comments and interest in this humble teacher..
My teachings are only there to provoke the mind and thoughts.
I leave provocation of the kind you speak of to others who have an agenda that needs fulfilling.
NO Grasshopper, you are missing something, that is why you attempt to make people see your ways, and your ways only, you believe that you are correct in everything you say with total disregard for others views, you sound like a Politician.
DLOG
Dragon, your lessons are starting to irritate me. How many more before you feel you are satisfied that DLOG and Stephen (and the rest of us I suspect) have come round to your way of thinking?
C - I am a serious pro-rachelite, I have been at the receiving end of her tremendous kindness so if fawning adulation is the word for it - then I wear it with pride :-)
Anne
Anne, fear not for me, I have my own views and visions and they will not be interfered by a Dragon, or anyone else for that matter.
DLOG
No, I thought not DLOG, which is why Dragon's drum is starting to give me a headache.
Anne
Dear Anne
Peace on you.
I wish no one harm, but sometimes the rightous voice must shout to be heard above the honey-coated whisperings of those that would drown out all discussion and free thought.
The pain in your head may be your own conscience, trying to communicate with you.
My aim is not to turn anyones way of thinking, I leave that to others.
I try to humbly present another way that anyone may follow if they wish.
By this way is the true teacher known and the oppressor cast out.
Here endeth lesson No.12.
The pain in your head may be your own conscience, trying to communicate with you.
Not so Dragon, my conscience speaks to me in a still small voice. I have one true teacher who's Word I read daily. The oppressor will only oppress if you let him in.
A
"I try to humbly present another way that anyone may follow if they wish."
No Grasshopper, you try to force your so called teachings on others, I have yet to see an OPINION from you.
DLOG
DLOG
To be fair to Mr A Dragon he has voiced an opinion on this blog, namely that people should stop bleating about world poverty and actually do something about it. I seem to remember that he was roundly set upon by you and others for the temerity to voice such a view.
If you want to encourage debate its probably best not to attack those that might have a different view, however distasteful you might find such a view.
C
Fair do's C, but to say "stop bleating about it and do something" is not really an opinion, lets have his opinion, what would he do about it.
And yes you are right, we should not attack people, but lets have a view from people of what they think should be done.
Sometimes we ourselves miss a prime ingredient in our view and it is only when some else comes up with an alternative that we actually realise the missing link, so to speak.
But you must admit that his lessons are a bit enforcing, you know sort of pressuring to change peoples views.
I hope I have made some sense C.
DLOG
I have recently received further information on how evil is made manifest. Mr A Dragon is not evil. Mr A Dragon has suffered enough.
He should be embraced as with everyone else.
Let all views be welcomed in this time of awakening.
Dear C, thank you for your kind support for a fellow travellor on the path of enlightenment.
Today is a joyous day, for I feel that many minds who were opposed, are now coming together for the greater good.
I feel no lesson is needed today, just the dialogue of fellow humans.
What should we do?
Of course, we can all talk of plans and great schemes to rid the world of poverty, but where should we start?
The scale of the task, could overwhelm us, if we let it.
A greater plan is good, but perhaps many small changes mean we can start now, today.
Should we start in our own country or backyard, or on the huge problems of the third world?
We can all, give a little to charity, use our local small businesses and thus spread the wealth, check up on our elderly neighbour, smile at the stranger in the street.
And from these small things, if enough of us do them, huge change can grow.
But I would offer a word of caution, do not spend time trying to change the "system", I do not think it will change in our lifetimes.
Start with the small and maybe the system will change itself?
But until then, remain vigilant, the wolf is never far from the door.
DLOG
You always make sense unlike the asset purchase agreement I have just had from my lawyers. I think lawyers should be paid on the basis of brevity; it takes real skill to be concise but accurate. I think my lawyers seem to think that the more the merrier!
C
Gasshopper "We can all, give a little to charity, use our local small businesses and thus spread the wealth, check up on our elderly neighbour, smile at the stranger in the street."
The best comment to date, well done, we are getting somewhere at last. And without lessons, pure views/opinions, ahhh what bliss.
C, thank you for your kind comments.
Life is simple, we just make it difficult by using fancy words/intials to confuse society, and me!
With regard to lawyers, yes the more the merrier, or perhaps it should be, the more the more money, they do it on purpose to make one enquire more to get more money, as soon as they pick up the phone the stopwatch starts, the more complicated they can make it the longer you are on the phone, the more money they make.
Mind you that is why I probably get myself into trouble, I am not concise enough sometimes, to simple and basic!!
DLOG
Mr A Dragon,
I would have to disagree about not attempting to change the system.
You may not agree with the substance of much of what George Galloway says.... but i would contest that this is just the level of passion required to alter the system.
If we all stood up and said No from time - we would see change.
Vid below.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=249JaIaubVw
Hi Steve, i watched the video and i was blown away by this guy. I understand your basic point that we can do more than sit back and hope the world changes bit by bit around us. Rachel Elnaugh seems to know what she is on about and so i hope people like her can help to take things forward - but i still worry that they will be to scared to stick their neck out. Still i am an eternal optimist so i live in hope.
all the best everyone,
Ed
Give me half a chance and I'll stick my neck out no problem.
About time Mr/Mrs average where given that chance.
DLOG
Yes harmonism will not be won through apathetic, calculated, step by step thinking.
This is for those who prefer a convenient get-out and enjoy being possessed.
Neither will it be won by falling into the trap of raging at BBC Celebrities, when this rage should be directed at the real culprits.
Neither take advice that tells you that you have no power and that fear should be your guide.
This is stuff of the keeper and the hive mind.
We are more than the description of the feeble and the sheep amongst the wolves.
DLOG Said "Give me half a chance and I'll stick my neck out no problem. About time Mr/Mrs average where given that chance."
We must make that chance ourselves, we can all wait for other people.
Edmund Burke famously wrote "All that is required for evil to flourish is that good men do nothing"
And Martin Luther King "The greatest sins of our time are committed not by the few who have destroyed, but by the vast majority who sat idly by"
In other words, we are responsible for the world we live in, I have started change, have you?
Unfortunately Mr A Dragon, when you are a nobody (like me), it is very difficult to get any one to listen and take on board what I/we have to say, it is just poo pooed by those in authority. Given the chance I would be first in the queue to go and sit and attempt to rectify the wars of the world.
But hey, I am just little old me, simple, bog standard me, well not that old, but you know what I mean!!
DLOG
Oh DLOG, I often agree with you but not this time. Don't put yourself down so. We all have it in us to effect change, like George Galloway said - we CAN do better than that. Look at some of the most humble people and the change they managed, Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela...
We all have it in us and I do agree with Dragon, we don't have to wait for someone else to make the situation perfect.
Anne
Oh Anne, if only you knew how I have tried, over and over again, a bit like the spider, build a web to have it destroyed, so build another to have it destroyed once again, and over and over again.........
Obviously I seriously lack those wonderful communication skills.
DLOG
DLOG
There are two schools of thought about your predicament.
The first, aka inspiration for Robert the Bruce, namely his torment of an innocent arachnid, who like you continued to build a web.
However, the second school of thought is that if you keep banging your head against a brick wall, stop banging your bloody head. This does not mean give up but change your approach. If the aforementioned spider had been wiser she'd have stopped rebuilding the web but bitten Robert the Bruce instead. Just think it could have changed the course of history...oh hang on he lost anyway so probably not.
C
PS. Anne is right, don't put yourself down as there are plenty of people out there who will gladly do it for you (only kidding).
C, "PS. Anne is right, don't put yourself down as there are plenty of people out there who will gladly do it for you (only kidding)."
Strange thing is, it is not kidding, by god have I met them, If only you knew!!
DLOG
Hmmm...maybe the spiders web has served it's purpose and as it glistens in the dew, it's beauty is appreciated. Maybe it's time to build an anthill, strong and protective with an army of ants doing the jobs they are designed to do, soldiers to protect, servants to serve and in the midst of it - the queen ant, glorious and majestic. Everyone has a role to play, some to lead, some to follow, some to serve, some to protect...
Anne
Aha, Anne maybe you have hit the nail on the head, the work has been completed and now it is time to vanish into obscurity!!
DLOG
"maybe the spiders web has served it's purpose and as it glistens in the dew, it's beauty is appreciated"
Appreciated by you perhaps but not by the spider who doesn't get to eat until her web is invisible once more...
So what you are saying is that you gain pleasure from watching spiders go hungry...doesn't seem that harmonious to me (or the spiders).
C
"Appreciated by you perhaps but not by the spider who doesn't get to eat until her web is invisible once more..."
Then nature will take it's course and the spider will build her web again or she will die.
Of course I do not gain pleasure in watching the spider go hungry, you mustn't put words in my mouth but I will give you the benefit of the doubt - maybe you have misunderstood me. We cannot interfere with nature, the spider will continue to build her web in the same place or she will move to another spot however if it is the spider's nature to keep building her web time and time again then that's what she will do and we will continue to appreciate it's beauty.
My comment to DLOG was merely an extension of his analogy, we don't have to keep spinning the web when we have the intelligence to shift position if need be.
Hope this is clearer. Remember we CAN do better than that...
Anne
You might feel that you are a fragile spider building fragile webs DLOG - but that is just a game you play.
I played this game too, until one day i took a look over my mind (beyond the noise of my thoughts) and found that i (had more) and (was more) than a fragile spider building fragile webs.
I guess it is another example of "we are more than our thoughts" and "we are what we are - not what we THINK we are".
There is to much self-construction from the intellect going on and not enough nurturing of the loving spirit inside of us.
How many times have i felt like you! You are in good company my friend.
"I will give you the benefit of the doubt - maybe you have misunderstood me."
No I understood you but I was just pointing out that what appears beautiful to you may not be for the spider. Beauty is subjective and not an absolute. The same is true of fairness and morality. Its because they are subjective that society is always flawed for someone.
Apologies Anne but I wasn't really suggesting that you are cruel to spiders in your appreciation of their dew laden webs.
C
I'm not sure if this comment will be seen amongst the lengthy arguments on here, but I just wanted to say how profoundly affected I was by your post. I was seconds away from writing a virtually identical account of how I too arrived at the term 'Harmonism' to describe my personal beliefs.
I believe it is a accurate term to describe what we are all truly aiming for. Hedonism will not suffice since pleasure is not the true aim of all people. Socialism will not either because true success is more than just sharing resources.
I believe happiness is a mental, physical and social peace. An absence of conflict, and to be at harmony with the opposing forces that wrestle for dominance in our own minds and societies.
I believe that Barack Obama is an exceptional individual not just because of his intelligence and empathy, but because I feel a great sense of harmony from within him. That is what the world needs more of.
My life motto is this:
'To improve the quality of life for myself and for the greatest number of people to the greatest degree possible.'
Now I see that one's 'quality of life' is determined by one's level of personal harmony.
Harmony is the goal, and will dictate my choices from this day onwards.
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