Principles of Business Success: #1
Rule #1: Business is an attempt to scab money of other people.
I understand why people chase after money, I mean, money does equal power in a very real way. But to me it's just a rat race, a bunch of animals viciously competing with each other for that extra advantage, that extra dollar. Sometimes I do wonder, though, what they're struggling for - is it simply financial security they're after? Or is it more? Can you survive at all in the world without some sort of urge driving towards the wealthy life?
To be honest, I don't have that drive. I don't care for surpluses of wealth and material goods. Of course, money is extremely important to me, it keeps me alive in a very real way. But I only want a certain amount, enough to enable me to live at a certain level of comfort. Actually, I think I'm onto something here - "enough money to live at a certain level of comfort" - perhaps that's what every one of us wants? And the only thing that changes is the level of comfort we desire?
I also think that a line should be drawn as to how much desire is too much, when acquiring welath becomes hoarding it. I've wondered to myself whether in a world of such extreme poverty, it is immoral even to desire anything more than subsistence. What right does anyone have to eat gourmet foods when some eat nothing at all? This is an extreme view though, a view I doubt many at all in the world (at least the Western world) would hold. It has enough merit in it, though, for me to at least ponder it.
And when I see advertisements on TV by companies just about begging for me to buy their product, I can't help but scorn. Maybe I shouldn't scorn though, maybe the desire for capital is a completely natural one, and without it even mere surviving would be difficult. It's similar to the "kill or be killed" idea - either you join the rat race and scounge for every dollar, or you don't get any dollars at all. There is not a dollar in the world that does not have to be scounged for. The more I think about it, the more this way of thinking makes sense. I wish there was a way around it, but I can't see one.
I understand why people chase after money, I mean, money does equal power in a very real way. But to me it's just a rat race, a bunch of animals viciously competing with each other for that extra advantage, that extra dollar. Sometimes I do wonder, though, what they're struggling for - is it simply financial security they're after? Or is it more? Can you survive at all in the world without some sort of urge driving towards the wealthy life?
To be honest, I don't have that drive. I don't care for surpluses of wealth and material goods. Of course, money is extremely important to me, it keeps me alive in a very real way. But I only want a certain amount, enough to enable me to live at a certain level of comfort. Actually, I think I'm onto something here - "enough money to live at a certain level of comfort" - perhaps that's what every one of us wants? And the only thing that changes is the level of comfort we desire?
I also think that a line should be drawn as to how much desire is too much, when acquiring welath becomes hoarding it. I've wondered to myself whether in a world of such extreme poverty, it is immoral even to desire anything more than subsistence. What right does anyone have to eat gourmet foods when some eat nothing at all? This is an extreme view though, a view I doubt many at all in the world (at least the Western world) would hold. It has enough merit in it, though, for me to at least ponder it.
And when I see advertisements on TV by companies just about begging for me to buy their product, I can't help but scorn. Maybe I shouldn't scorn though, maybe the desire for capital is a completely natural one, and without it even mere surviving would be difficult. It's similar to the "kill or be killed" idea - either you join the rat race and scounge for every dollar, or you don't get any dollars at all. There is not a dollar in the world that does not have to be scounged for. The more I think about it, the more this way of thinking makes sense. I wish there was a way around it, but I can't see one.
posted by Banana Mango at 8/24/2005 11:47:00 pm
4 Comments:
Hello Kris,
Your idea of business and money is a valid one. The world (the current world and the generations of yesteryear) does and did desire three things, SMP - Sex, money, and Power. However this is an extremley western, capitalist view, ideology of the world!!! This is not the only view of the world! Yes, the famous scottish thinker Adam Smith did introduce a free-market (laisse-faire) based economy, which essentially said that there should be as little government as possible when it comes to business and welfare. However, it was the revolutionary Karl Marx the father of modern day communism, said in his famous book, "The Communist Manifesto", that the history of man is a "class struggle"! He believed in his form of government, either a Communist or Socialist society, that everyone would have security. Security in jobs, public edu. health, law and order. This is opposed to the Western view of democratic rights, therefore allowing that it is totaly up to the individual , not the govt. to look after oneself. like it or hate, there is either, freedom (either to be homeless or a millionaire) in western societies, or security (that everyone has the same opportunity as everyone else, ie. no rich bougiouse class and proletariat class) as in a Communist system.
Bottom line call it what you want but the world is corrupt! There is no two ways about it!
Albert Anonymous
I think capitalism reflects nature better than communism does (not that I can claim to be an expert on either). My reason for thinking this is that the non-human world is extremely competitive, and much more vicious than the human world is. (I'm not necessarily using this to justify capitalism, nature can usually be improved upon)
I reckon the best way to forget about the money obsessed world we live in is to be as generous as possible. Buy friends presents, give to charities, give to homeless people.
Not only does it make you feel great, if you are generous then people are more likely to be generous in return. And you find that you're not scounging for every dollar, because people will be more than happy to help you out.
I agree with being generous! however giving money to charitable organisations is far more productive than giving money to a homeless person on the street. Unfortunately a homeless person will just spend it on their habit! That is reality, i am just being a realist.
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