Pondering the imponderable…

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It was more than a few years ago. I was sitting in our board room, discussing the plan to shut down our company. The one we started some 25 years prior.

The plan was always to terminate the company when we could not make a difference any more. Our mission was to develop two new products a year. No, not like a “new tissue box” screaming “new and improved”. But, real things making real differences.

A new hemodialyzer. A new neurosurgical drill.   An all-in-one computer (the ones that exist now but were pipe dreams to everyone but our client). A new method to pasteurize apple cider- without destroying one bit of flavor. A new toilet bowl. Water recycling systems for the home, for businesses, for nuclear power, for coal power, for car washes (you get the idea). Dry cleaning in your dryer. A new aerosol can. A Stirling engine using alternative fuel.

I could go on; we simply contributed to a variety of industries and technologies. We managed to produce a series of fantastic and fantastical improvements to make things better in this world.

But, a few of our clients were disappearing. In addition, a lot of our client contacts were retiring. Which meant that our liaisons with the various firms was becoming precarious.

But, our mid-sized and smaller client entities were also running into problems. They were not making enough profits- or spending their funds in what could be considered profligate fashion. Not knowing how to manage all their people they hired. Unable to present financial reports to their bankers or venture backers to keep them satisfied. Failing to pay their payroll taxes when cash was running short.

That last failure will put you out of business faster than you think. And, put the personal lives of the executives, founders, and officers of the firm in personal jeopardy. Because not paying the social security and Medicare taxes withheld from one’s employees, not paying the matching taxes for these withholdings, not providing the US Treasury the income taxes that were withheld from paychecks really ticks off the government. It’s the biggest trigger to insure that you are the target of a government manhunt to recover those funds.

And, we were going to start a new firm to help our clients better manage their firms, better manage their finances, and insure that they can offer their new products to customers and clients for a long time.

While our board thought these were laudable goals, they were not sure that we should abandon our previous approach. Actually, at least two questioned whether we had the right to not keep developing new products and processes. Because we could still do so; not continuing that effort meant we would be squandering talent and, perhaps, leave some souls without the new therapies or improvements that would make a difference in the world at large, and not just for a few entrepreneurs.

There is a relationship between work, talent, and duty. It’s not just doing what you love, but doing what makes a bigger difference in the world. This is not a new idea.

Given that one’s talent and abilities emanate from the Supreme Being, does one have the right to abandon that effort. Immanuel Kant pondered that in his 1785 treatise “The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals”.   This concept is actually part of my religion, as well- which is a heck of a lot older than 1785.

Of course, my religion uses different logic than does Kant. But, Kant does wonder if we have the right to choose a comfortable life rather than employ the talents that makes us more useful to society. It is simply irrational to do what we love when what else we can do is so important.

It’s why I never mentored a student- or my children- to do what they love. I asked them to discern what they do best – and if that is better for society, how can they turn aside? It’s why I have been involved in helping people get the right to vote, to get adequate education and healthcare. And, still tried to develop these new products.

The question becomes more acute when you don’t think you still can make those new ideas reach fruition every six months. Is one more great product over the next decade as important as insuring ten, fifty, or hundreds of folks employment over that same time period?

We made our decision.   What’s yours?

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