Thomas Carlyle observed 'the history of the world is but the biography of great men.' In many ways, much business literature about 'leadership' only gets as far as Carlyle in its thinking and then rests, sure in the belief leaders are self-made people from whom lessons can be drawn and leadership techniques formalised.
Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, is a self-described 'dirtbag' whose company employs people with a 'love of wild and beautiful places,' a love which 'demands participation in the fight to save them, and to help reverse the steep decline in the overall environmental health of our planet.' This mission stems from a realization by Chouinard that his company was in part responsible for the overconsumption he so reviled. But unlike much hyperbole surrounding businesses with a desire to implement CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), Chouinard’s commitment was make or break: 'They say if you want to be a samurai, you can't be afraid of dying, and as soon as you flinch, you get your head cut off. I'm not afraid of losing this business.'
Constantine's rule presents a unique moment in European history where the notion of one God and one faith began to toughen and harden. Within this general milieu of religious, political and social change, we see a unique problem for a Roman Emperor: how to reconcile the traditional deification of a ruler in a religious context which only allowed for one Christ King. This essay will examine this aspect of the “Christianisation” of Imperial Rome, which can be seen as a microcosm for understanding how the Empire as a whole eventually transitioned from pagan polyglot to monotheistic society.
In Calcutta a statue was erected to Lord Bentinck, Governor-General of India. Its inscription bears citing at length as it is testament to the moral zeitgeist with which the British believed their empire to be infused: