… and then there's a much older and far more nuanced perspective about what 'conscious' might mean…

There is another definition of 'consciousness' — one drawn from age-old wisdom and spiritual traditions, in which consciousness means that one awakens from his or her dream of separation and becomes aware of the sacredness of and the connection between all things.

This lens is the more holographic one reflected in the simple yet profound words of Chief Seattle: What we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

It is a lens that our ancient ancestors knew well, and modern 'renegade' scientists are beginning to articulate more boldly — one that assumes and embodies the integration of intellect with heart, Masculine with Feminine, inner with outer, above with below, and conscience with action. It sees many dimensions, not just one or three. It knows that there is much more 'there' than what meets the eye.

This is consciousness as wholeness, and a way of seeing and being that informs a more wholistic and multi-dimensional 'doing'. And through this lens, the underlying assumptions, goals, and approaches to business — while still including some of the more neutral business-as-usual practices — look dramatically different, and are summarized later in this article.

It is the former, mono- or three-dimensional, linear-and-rationality worshipping, 'business-as-usual' definition that prevails in the dominant 20th-century industrial business and leadership model, though there are always individuals who stray from such norms. In this traditional model, 'conscious business' or 'conscious capitalism' seems oxymoronic.

It is in the latter definition — consciousness as a realization, embodiment, and practice of the sacredness of and connection between all things — that offers both hope and promise to us at this pivotal time in history when the old (and still mainstream) ways of gluttonous consumption are literally destroying the planet and the mind-body-spirit integrity and wellness of the beings on it (including human beings).

A bow to the Paradigm Bridgers…

In the current paradigm, there are some 'bridge' leaders and enterprises that take some steps towards a truer manifestation of 'social responsibility' or 'conscious enterprise' but still within the traditional business framework, according to many of the traditional business assumptions and standards, and operating, to a large degree, on the same obsession with quantitative growth and personal 'wealth-building'.

These can be exemplified by visionary (within the traditional 'business-as-usual' context) 'socially responsible' entrepreneurs who built larger-than-humanscale enterprises — usually product-manufacturing based — which were ultimately sold to very large multinational corporations looking for entry into these markets, as was the case with Stonyfield Farm, The Body Shop, Odwalla, and Ben & Jerry's.

In other cases, the company may remain private, but its quantitative growth brings it to a size that requires a larger 'eco-footprint' and a less egalitarian focus between ethics, social responsibility, and profit-making pressures that often result in a de-emphasis on the 'softer' (more malleable) aspects of the 'triple bottom line,' or an outright compromise of the original dedication to different assumptions and values relative to what business might be.

The steps taken by the 'bridgers' who created these companies have been valuable experiments, and are justifiably celebrated. But we must take care that the self-congratulation doesn't lull us into complacency, a slightly more acceptable addiction to our own comfort, thinking that it's enough to be 'a little bit' conscious.

Ultimately, this engenders a back-slipping or retrenching into the traditional assumptions and goals of business-as-usual — that business has to be all about maximized quantitative growth, profit-making, and return on (financial) investment of the largest shareholders. Or that a business owner or entrepreneur has to succumb to the ridiculous assumptions of wild quantitative growth in order to 'be secure' in his elder years. This is exactly the fear-centered, scarcity rich belief fueling the worldview that brings us to the brink of destruction — and not for the first time int he planet's history, nor even our recorded Western history.

At this juncture, when bolder steps and more courageous 'lived visions' are necessary, the 'bridge' model is akin to being 'a little bit pregnant.' It's just not bold enough, given the rapid rate with which our consumption-based business and cultural model is stripping the planet bare, beyond her ability to keep up and provide for us.

As the poet Audre Lord wrote, "You can't bring down the master's house using the master's tools." The only difference is that this is "Empire's House," and it is bringing itself down, along with everything in its path. Our Great Work is to see more holographically, and realize through a more nuanced, expansive, embracing lens, the tools available to us to allow the deconstruction of the old, Empire forms, and allow the rebirth of a healthier, more life-centered new way. We need to see with new eyes, and hear with new ears.

Part Three - Article Conclusion:
… a Tale of Two Cities, and a look at authentically conscious enterprise...