I believe that, as individuals, we all have a responsibility for the state of our planet. Everything we do affects not only the people we encounter in our daily lives, but, through a chain of consequences, ultimately everyone and everything around us.
This is truer today than at any other point in human history. Our thoughts can now be communicated almost instantly anywhere in the world, while our actions can be captured in photographs and videos and shared with people across the globe.
Far more depends on each individual than many people realise. The responsibility is enormous. Yet it is clear that certain trends are gaining ground—trends that increasingly place the perceived or actual rights of individuals above everything else, with little or no regard for the well-being and future of the community as a whole.
It is a fact that, throughout the past centuries—and indeed millennia—almost every form of power has, at one time or another, been abused by those who held it or stood close to it. They took advantage of the opportunities entrusted to them, causing suffering and, at times, leaving many people emotionally and physically scarred. Entire social groups and sections of society lived under oppression simply because they had no other choice. From time to time, a revolution swept away harmful practices, only for them to be replaced by actions that were often no better. The victims simply changed.
I know there are those who believe that this is simply how things must be—that we are living through a period of history in which the condition of our planet, and of humanity itself, can only continue to deteriorate. But I choose to believe that this is not inevitable.
If each of us is willing to take personal responsibility, then tomorrow can be better. Even though there will always be hardships that we cannot avoid, and against which we may have no means of protecting ourselves.
This is where we live. All of us. At present, we have nowhere else to go.
I believe that economic development does not have to come at the expense of the environment or society.
I believe that both national and international trade can be based on fairness and integrity, and that generating profit should not be an end in itself.
I consider it important to support those who, on their own, have limited opportunities to create the resources they need for their development. At the same time, I recognise that, given the limited amount of time we can devote directly to this, we can make this possible primarily through the profits generated by economic activity.
It is in this spirit that I seek to establish and build potential business relationships.