Standing Up for What's Right: A Lesson from the Past

Mark Carney, the former Prime Minister of Canada, recently spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He started by referencing a famous essay written by Vaclav Havel, a Czech playwright and former president. This essay, written in 1978, talked about how people can end up supporting bad systems, even when they know it's wrong. Havel used the example of a greengrocer who puts a communist slogan in his window. The greengrocer does this not because he believes in it, but because he's afraid of the consequences if he doesn't. This is a way for people to justify going along with things they don't believe in, from the greengrocer to the highest leaders.The essay didn't call for big protests, but it suggested that change can start when people stop doing things just because they're expected to. Carney didn't mention any specific leaders, but he urged countries like Canada and many European nations to "live the truth. " He pointed out that these countries have relied on the support of the United States for their security, but that support is changing. Carney said that when even one person stops going along with the system, it starts to break down. He encouraged companies and countries to find a new way forward. Almost 50 years later, Havel's words might still be relevant as the world faces big changes.