• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, December 20, 2017

I read a pretty fair amount, and these days there’s a lot to read.  I just read an article describing the “ethics economy,” a term that sums up exactly what’s going on in the U.S. today.

Things are tense right now.  Our leaders, if we are willing to call them that, are acting poorly.  There is a sense of fragility among chaos, the fear that at any moment everything could implode in any number of ways.

Politicians, entertainers and corporate executives are finally being held to task for irresponsible and offensive actions they’ve taken over the course of many, many years.  This is giving birth to the ethics economy, which feels like a tipping point.

The election in Alabama made me feel as if sanity might actually have a chance.  People are starting to take off whatever-colored glasses they may have been wearing and starting to see things for what they really are.   

People should treat others with respect and fairness.  Anything less is simply unacceptable.  Corporate executives should be held to the same level of integrity as everyone else, and corporate responsibility should be levied to improve the world around us.  

Corporations make a lot of money off the backs of the people who work there, and as a result should be held accountable for helping those same people have a better life.  We all want to leave the world a better place for our children; during the last 10-20 years, it doesn’t seem we were doing the best possible job of achieving that goal.

This has been a divisive year for many, but my sincere hope and optimistic point of view is that things always have to get a little worse in order for them to get better.  Having a light shine on the inequality of the world is really the only way people can better understand the problems that need to be fixed.  

The rise of the ethics economy means everyday people can better understand right and wrong and choose which side to invest in, monetarily or personally.  You can invest money in programs that will make the world a better place.  You can also invest personal capital in terms of your time, your opinions, and your words, to improve the world a little bit.  

Teaching children about equality for everyone regardless of gender, sexuality, race, or income bracket can lead us to a better place.  Educating adults on the same ideas can also have an impact, although I will admit that not every adult is open to being taught these concepts.   Holding your companies and even your country to a higher standard of responsibility is important, and holding our politicians to an even higher standard is a must.  

The ethics economy will serve as a watchdog to help point out when these people are not living up to expectations.  When they continue to act poorly, they will be held accountable.  

Of course, nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes.  You have to evaluate each of these situations and weigh the impact of their mistakes against the role they play and the message it sends to determine what is an acceptable way to balance the scales.  This is why it’s an “economy” — there’s a give and take, a little math, involved.

My hope is the coming year will provide an increase in balance toward the positive as the “ethics economy” continue to draw out the unfairness and increase the opportunity for equality towards everyone.  

For the sake of my kids’ future, I am going to be working toward that same goal.  I hope you will, too.