Most people have been to at least one garage sale at some
time in their life. Perhaps you have
even held one yourself to clear out unwanted items and clutter from your
home. Such sales are interesting
analogies for life in general. You go through
your home collecting odds and ends that have lost their utility and meaning for
you. Then you try to sell them to
someone else to squeeze the last bit of value out of each one.
The potential buyers are interesting as well. There are those that show up before the
appointed start time to catch you off guard and try to obtain the highest
quality items for less than the posted price.
Often these people will then turn around and immediately sell the same
items for several times what they paid.
Don’t we sometimes do this ourselves in other
situations? We might try to skirt the
rules and get something for less. This
is a “seller beware” mentality. Of
course the opposite “buyer beware” mentality exists, too. Either way, the behavior, although it might
not be illegal, it is also not spiritually pure.
What is the difference between ethical behavior and
spiritually pure behavior? Every
business course/book has an ethics chapter dealing with how one should behave
in that specific discipline. The problem
is the recommended course of action is designed to keep the practitioner and
company out of jail.
“Do no harm” is a common stance. While this is commendable, it does not go far
enough. “Do the highest good” is much
better for the life and cohesion of the planet.
This reflects spiritually pure action.
Individual and institutional egos encourage employees to get
the most out of a potential sale that they can –again “buyer beware.” Many will justify these actions as “It is
just business, what you have to do to be successful.” But is this really true? Win-lose transactions are just that. One side is boosted up
at the cost of the other. This is NEVER healthy
for either side. This is true for
business and it is true in relationships in our private lives.
When we extend our hand to help rather that trick, pull
people up with us instead of stepping on them to get to the top, then we all
win. Ultimately, this is the best
scenario. Unfortunately, you often hear the argument “It is not my
responsibility to care for others.” Or
“The only responsibility a company has is to make money for its investors.”
These views are more than just shallow, they are dangerous.
They are dangerous to the ones who hold the view because it
hardens their hearts to the plight of others.
The “others” are actually extensions of themselves, since we are all
part of the same whole. So in reality,
when we take advantage of someone else, we are only harming ourselves.
I realize that those who practice win-lose behaviors do not
buy this argument. It is hard to
understand it when they are living in
their mansions, driving fine cars and consuming the highest quality of
everything, while the “others” are out of sight and out of mind.
I encourage everyone to spend time helping out in a soup kitchen
or visiting poor neighborhoods to see the direct impact of greed and
disadvantage. Hopefully, the experience
will trigger an awakening of consciousness that will move a small step forward
toward healing the planet.
