Did you know that according to an NBC news report several years ago that women in the business world who responded affirmatively to the question “Would you stab a friend in the back in order to get ahead?” made $12,000 a year more than women who said No.

Men who said Yes to that question made about $40,000 a year more than those who said No.

I received this interesting statement in response to my latest article, Women, Beware the Pink Net, from an old high school friend, Rich, a retired sociology professor.

Rich went on to say that there is also some evidence that psychopaths rise higher on the corporate ladder. It could also be phrased that business practices just reward psychopaths. It’s some kind of an inverse (perverse) ‘survival of the fittest.’

What this suggests is that the main reason corporations operate in unethical ways (i.e., denying the connection between cigarettes and cancer for decades – even going to the extreme of hiring fake science to prove it – or denying climate change, or toxic spills, etc.) is that some CEOs of large corporations are really psychopaths camouflaged as respected business leaders. The reason they get away with it is because these unethical practices are profitable. In addition, people with lots of money tend to get away with questionable practices and behavior because they are perceived as ‘respectable’, or they have a ‘reputable’ corporation. What do the poor psychopaths do? They just go out and shoot up schools and shopping malls. Whether ‘respectable’ psychopathic corporations or poorer psychopaths do an abhorrent deed, the bottom line is the same. Innocent people are harmed or killed.

I know this is a pretty intense statement, but I’m tired of the way Corporate America runs roughshod over the environment and the little people. No wonder there is so much greed and competition combined with so little regard for what’s really important. Syria is losing its population because ‘psychopaths’ masquerading as rebels and military personnel are bombing and shooting up towns and the countryside in a violent effort to ‘eliminate the enemy.’ In the meantime, they are destroying a whole country and making it unfit for human habitation. Can someone please explain the rationale behind this!

Take a look at our ‘reputable leaders’ in Washington. They strut around with their big egos impeding any kind of progress just to be obstructionists. Half of Washington is caught up in a witch hunt, or in verbal bashing of fellow contestants, that almost no one is focusing on the real issues. Something is wrong with this picture!

How are we going to achieve global peace? How are we going to create a sustainable environment that will support our rapidly expanding global population? How are we going to ensure that every child has the food and medical attention they need, and deserve? What are we going to do when, not if, the icebergs melt and sea water rises, flooding the low lands (which includes our costal populations and the lowlands around the Bay). How can any of us sleep at night when there is so much inequity in the world?

We have a lot of big issues that need to be addressed. Many want to do something but don’t know how, or don’t have the courage, or support, or think they need permission to speak up and take a stand.

Some of us think we have to do big things, and make a big splash. But truly, it’s the little things that can make a difference. Sign a petition. Write a letter to a politician. Attend a Peace or a Breast Cancer March. Protest for a good cause. Join an activist group. I have a friend who leads a local activist group on climate change. There is so much you can do, even if you spend 10 hours a day at work, or have both a job and family to attend too. You can make a difference, and, yes, the little things do count.

Many people come to me feeling a lack of purpose or passion in their life. They might feel they are here to do something important, but don’t know what it is. They may lack confidence, or can’t give themselves permission to take a stand, or they feel flat, as if they are drifting with no direction, or they have a sense of hopelessness. If this is you, then contact me today for a complementary 30-minute consultation to see how together we can re-inspire you to live fully and passionately. You can make a difference and live a more joyful and fulfilling life. Call Joy at 415-819-8769 or email me at joy@joyreichard.com.