24 June 2014 - QA 12

You have told me that compassion and morality must be a precursor to an effective economic system, but you’re also saying that an effective economic system is important for compassion. Is it true that compassion and free enterprise are intertwined and one must build on the other?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See, whether capitalism, communism, socialism or secularism, no ism will work without humanism. The heart of humanism is compassion, and it is essential. Without that nothing can work. Everything will be lame. And we’ve found this throughout the world. There are ample examples. Whenever the human values are found missing, all these isms remain in books as success but really not on the ground.