Why business leaders must put service to humanity first

In the contemporary life we are leading, we have become obsessed with our careers, businesses and related society standing. Momentarily, we seem to have relegated the essence of life to the periphery. We have ignored the good old advice even from the Chinese that life is a journey. As the Chinese say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To enjoy this lifelong journey, it is only fair that we stop to fuel our reserve souls. Indeed, is life is a journey, shouldn’t we be striving to enjoy every moment managing with a good balance?The perfect example and evidence we have is in nature — God’s creation. Spiritually and beyond race, religion or creed we all acknowledge that the human kind rests at the top of the pack with its sixth sense and hence the God always takes the form of human being in his incarnation in this world. Yet, do we really use this sense for the benefit of self and the humanity? The purpose of creation and our existence in this world should be justified. While enjoying the benefits of nature, discoveries, science and technology, innovation and the evolution of humanity, do we attempt to preserve all these and add value in the interest of the future generation? In business, we talk of sustainability, but do we stop to exercise similar responsibility to our personal lives? As leaders, whether in business, politics or any other sphere we have a moral obligation to ensure that our actions, strategies and ventures remain wholesome and nurturing not just for our generation, but even for posterity. Regrettably, we have all have become materialistic and largely selfish. It is a pity. What is the purpose of amassing wealth if it is of no use to you? Wealth is no doubt a security, but security alone does not bring in happiness.At the height of the matatu strike last week, I was impressed by our efforts to extend a helping hand through car pooling. The initiative that kicked off on social media sites positively managed to rub in and turned a challenge into an opportunity.As human beings in this world, we should realise that we are still a part of the creator. We should demonstrate, exemplify and even epitomise the divine qualities. Adding value to our neighbours’ lives, environment, business and to any aspect of life.In this process, we dynamically should aim to engage ourselves with various kinds of people in different environments and share the culture, thoughts love, materials among other things that foster affection and unity for each other, besides respect and reputation.Ramamurthy is the regional operations and strategy director at Nakumatt Holdings.