The Mirror Question

Does anyone care?

“Does anyone care about the Indian reader?” — asked a Livemint column.

My first reaction was simple: “I do.” (At least, if and when I publish my book.)

Does the publishing ecosystem truly care about the writer, the reader, other customers, and internal or external stakeholders? Do corporations care for the faceless, unknown person on the other side? We’re in the middle of a dance of democracy. Do political parties really care for the citizens? Do we care for society, beyond customers, readers, voters?

But then a deeper question surfaced.

As professionals, do we truly care about our profession? Not in words. Not in branding. But in the standards we uphold, the depth we bring, and the integrity we practise. Because every ecosystem — publishing, business, politics, coaching, leadership — eventually reflects its practitioners.

Your guru is judged by you.

When we lower the bar, the system follows suit. When we raise our consciousness, the ecosystem evolves. The reader. The client. The stakeholder. They are not separate from us. They experience the collective quality of our intent and effort.

So perhaps the real question isn’t: “Does anyone care?” It’s:

We may feel powerless about many things, but we always have a choice

1. to create the problem,
2. to stand by, or
3. to contribute, however modestly, to the solution.

We have a choice. Let’s exercise it with awareness. Keep the ultimate customer in mind.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.