The old saying that beauty is in the mind of the beholder is true—and it also applies to inspiration.

What some people find inspiring, others find downright depressing.

Here’s a quote we recently featured in our Shareable Saturday email:

“The success of economic freedom in increasing human prosperity, extending our life spans and improving the quality of our lives in countless ways is the most extraordinary global story of the past 200 years.”
— John Mackey
CEO & founder of Whole Foods Market, Inc.

My friend and most supportive subscriber, Mark Goldstein, responded with this:

And the second most extraordinary global story is how the enemy is trying to keep this from happening.

This reply came from another friend, Carolyn Howard-Johnson:

Beautiful quotation you found. I am so glad I found you!

But another subscriber wrote this:

I'm sorry. I don't find this very inspiring. In fact, it makes me sad when I think of all the people who do not have “economic freedom” especially in the age of the Covid pandemic. We must find our inspiration and aspirations elsewhere if we are to survive and rise.

Yes, many people are suffering economically and in other ways during the pandemic. Full recovery is going to take a long time.

But in spite of the challenges and hardships we’ve endured over the past year, we have seen incredible generosity, flexibility, and creativity that has been able to manifest in large part because we have economic freedom.

Here’s how the Fraser Institute explains economic freedom:

The cornerstones of economic freedom are (1) personal choice, (2) voluntary exchange coordinated by markets, (3) freedom to enter and compete in markets, and (4) protection of persons and their property from aggression by others. Individuals have economic freedom when property they acquire without the use of force, fraud, or theft is protected from physical invasions by others and they are free to use, exchange, or give their property as long as their actions do not violate the identical rights of others. Individuals are free to choose, trade, and cooperate with others, and compete as they see fit.

Where there is economic freedom, businesses are able to adjust to new marketplaces, to develop and implement new ways of serving their customers. Individuals who have experienced drastic, unexpected changes in their circumstances can respond with ingenuity and optimism.

Where economic freedom is restricted, innovation is stifled. When innovation is stifled, so are business and economic growth.

After taking another look at the quote, I still feel that John Mackey was right and I'm glad I shared his message. I welcome your comments.

By the way, if you’re not on our Shareable Saturday list, click here to join.

Jacquelyn Lynn
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