Page 22 - Spring 18

continued from p15
“Don’t waste too much time on looking at what other businesses are doing – focus on what you believe to be important”.
The book is liberally scattered with quotes which make up a treasure of life-affirming advice, whether for the business owner, entrepreneur, or an individual engaged in the battle for realising the true self, and seeing beyond the immediate, delusionary material world. All of Jonathan’s writing has a basic, recurring theme. Be true to who you are, not who you think, or others think, you should be; make every act one of love, compassion, and good intention, and success will come; let others worry about material matters as their priority if they choose, there are other things of greater significance, and which will yield greater rewards long term.
“We know that we can’t put everything we feel strongly about and there are a great number of issues we feel strongly about” right, but there are things we can do, and it is our duty to try to do them”.
There is a refreshing and powerful honesty about this book. Jonathan speaks to the reader as if he was chatting to a friend, never dictating, always discussing and expressing his views with an openness and frankness that makes this such an easy book to read. Like all worthwhile works, this is a book that you can breeze through without realising the passage of time, nor appreciating the assimilation of wonderful truths and guidelines as you do so. He relates the history of the company and its foundation with anecdotes and stories that illustrate with clarity how he developed the company – and its ethics – as he did, and what drove him to do so. Some amazing coincidences happened along the way; whenever such synchronicities start to develop, then you know you are going “with the flow” of where life is meant to be taking you.
(Quoting Bertrand Russell) “The whole problem with the world... is that fools and fanatics are so certain of themselves, but wiser people are full of doubts”.
An example of a small chapter which highlights the ethical stance of the book. The title “Why you should avoid outside
funding” says it all, a rule the value of which I can personally testify. He suggests that it is better to be able to uphold your own values and priorities without having to be answerable to others who have different motives and goals. Only then can the business be run in the way that is right, not the way that is dictated. I have found the same thing when supporting my son’s eco-creative project in Goa, India, when environmental concerns and public education have been able to be the priorities, even if initially not the most profitable.
“Nothing builds trust like openness”.
To quote from a later chapter, “... marketing an ethical business is exactly like marketing any other business, but with one crucial exception; you can – in fact you must – be 100% honest”. Again, a recurring theme throughout the pages is that of integrity and candour. There is no need to sink to the devious means of other, profit-oriented businesses, when you can make your own rules and stick to your own guidelines and ethics. We can be the detached observer of the actions of others, even if we should try to avoid being overly judgemental, but feeling good about what you do, why you do it, and what effect it may have on the world around you, and being unconcerned about what others feel, is empowering.
“Holding strong beliefs is not universally good for business. However, it isn’t possible to please everyone and we aren’t interested in trying”.
This last quote shows why this book is of value to all those involved with the struggle to keep homeopathy available to everyone, both human and animal, and it is no less relevant to ourselves as individuals either. Too often concerns about opinion start to invade the thought processes, as any of you who, like me, has struggled to offer complementary therapies within a hostile and unsupportive work environment. On an individual level, we spend WAY too much time worrying about what others think of us, and perhaps allowing our true selves to be manipulated by what we perceive to be the world around us. “We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are”. Jonathan offers us simple, understandable, and readily achievable guidelines to apply to our working and personal lives, and gives us reason for maintaining strength and confidence in the face of opposition and adversity. Maintaining our ethical stance with regards to animal welfare, respect for all living beings (including our vociferous and bullying veterinary opposition) and remembering the basic reason why we do what we do, and are who we are, is essential in this battle we are engaged in.
“Procrastinate about something you want to do – especially something you really believe in – and you face the biggest risk of all: regret”.
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