One of the roles of the entrepreneur is to project a vision to themselves, as well as others, that is somewhat larger than reality.
Then, as they take people forward with them, their team, their investors, they proceed to work their “butts off” to make this vision a reality.
This has been the pattern for all great enterprises throughout the history of the civilized world.
It’s a world that I’m comfortable with “warts and all” and it saddens me to see entrepreneurship being regulated out of existence.
My friend, Rev. Robert Sirico (Acton Institute) often reflects on the biblical encouragement of entrepreneurship and the many parables drawn from the commercial world of that time.
One that embraces entrepreneurship as a virtue is the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The entrepreneur who creates the most value from his gift receives the highest praise, whereas the one who chooses not to earn even a minimal return is rebuked.
The parable for the mineral explorers is the one concerning the hidden treasure in a field, which in our own language says;
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which when a man found, he hid and then went forth and sold all that he had to buy that field.” (Matthew 13:44). This highlights that buying opportunities should be seized, whenever possible.
Apart from its spiritual importance, this parable shows that commerce can be mutually beneficial, even where there exists what economists call “information asymmetries,” i.e. when buyers and sellers bring different assumptions to the table. Even in this case, both parties can benefit. A good and moral economic system is one that creates opportunities for mutual advantage and I view it as a tragedy when we see over-regulation so often getting in the way of so many transactions.
Ron Manners
(from his Chairman’s Address, 2005 to the shareholders of DeGrey Mining Ltd – http://www.degreymining.com.au/)