Physical, digital, energy and logistics networks on one hand; the “globalization of superficiality” on the other.
Infrastructures unite territories and nations: they are tools bringing wealth, cooperation, development and prosperity. But capital, networks and investment now invite new reflection in this regard.
And so we have nations that are still far from achieving political and economic stability alongside others, particularly in the West where prosperity has been achieved, that are dealing with new forms of poverty: emotional, spiritual and social impoverishment.
We live at a time in which physical macro-infrastructures are growing rapidly while inner micro‑infrastructures remain fragile. This tension is the context of the “globalization of superficiality”: an increasingly common social phenomenon that produces immediate adhesion and bulimic consumption of content while reducing the aptitude for critical reflection and diminishing spirituality to an individual horizon that is all about personal sentiments rather than shared values.
Reason thus risks separation from the spiritual essence, with the result of producing individuals who are more fragile, afraid of getting to the heart of the matter: a condition that is particularly apparent among youth.
And so I ask myself: what will be the impact of this superficiality on the leaders of tomorrow? The construction of healthy business relationships is based on the desire to build lasting well-being together, rather than just finalize an agreement or make a profitable investment. To be a good banker, businessperson or professional, one must take into account the message of the Good Samaritan, to which I dedicated some reflection not long ago. It is this kind of compassion that goes beyond indifference and creates a future, when it becomes a choice of method and responsibility.
This is an issue close to my heart, on which I have been working in recent years educating young business leaders with the University of Fordham. Boys and girls who thoroughly understand economics and finance, but also know how to do their life’s work with responsibility, a humanistic vision and a long-term perspective.
One of the great conquests of our age is widespread access to knowledge via the web: an immense treasure. But even the greatest of treasures requires discernment. As Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, taught, the spirit is the most valuable infrastructure of all; it must also be made stable and secure.
This is why I invite young people, and particularly economists, and our future leaders, to go deeper than the surface. I suggest they read Thomas P. Rausch, theologian at Loyola Marymount University, author of the article “The Spiritual Exercises in a Secular Age”, offering plenty of inspiration for building a healthy spirituality. When it comes to philosophy, on the other hand, I recommend Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, professor emeritus at McGill University, author of “A Secular Age”, a work exploring the relationship between faith and contemporary society.
Two different but complementary points of view, helping to integrate the humanistic dimension into the sciences of economics and finance. Because the question cannot always be reduced to deciding whether you believe or not.
Andrea Mennillo
Founder and Managing Director, International Development Advisory
Chairman Fordham University London Centre Advisory Board