Tying Our Fates Together

"How selfish so ever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it."

-Adam Smith

There has been a lot of talk about social entrepreneurship. How doing good doesn't necessarily equate to doing something non-profit. Do no evil, Google's motto reminds us of this constantly. With money flowing into cleantech these days, we're never short of people who profess to share both the social as well as entrepreneurial spirit.

I'm not a cynic when it comes to change. Admittedly, there are times where it would seem otherwise, but no, I do believe in social innovation and that such a thing exists. But perhaps sometimes, we look at issues critically and often we miss the point. Isn't technology, by its very definition, social? Something that enriches lives and changes fate. For the most part, technology, in its many forms and shapes, have made the world a better place to live. We see solar power as the one thing that will liberate us from the shackles of oil dependency. But yet at the same time, without it, would we have life as we know it today?

I like what one of the speakers during the AAMA event said about progress. About change. "The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of rocks." We change to progress. Change isn't just about innovation. Progress isn't just about profits. The future is about the people. And making lives better. Social entrepreneurship.