2021-11-29
When everything works the way it should, the foot does it's job, the hand does it's job, the mouth does it's job, and the stomach does it's job. The symphony of a body requires all the parts. When one part does well, the whole does well; when one part suffers, the rest must bear the burden and adapt.
I was looking at an old picture, consisting of Stalin, Churchill, and some other dude (Roosevelt), the other day; and it hit me. At first I was trying to read them by facial expressions. How were they feeling? What was their disposition? What was on Stalin's mind vs. his western counterparts? Then I realized, the answer is not in the facial expressions. The face, may give hints to what's going on inside; but, the real clue, was their attire. The western politicians wore suits. Stalin wore more of a military commander type garb, a uniform. I think that's an interesting contrast against the suit. To digress, the origin of the word suit is interesting as well: "from Vulgar Latin *sequita, from feminine of *sequitus, past participle of *sequere to follow." From the Vulgar Latin we mean: to follow... So, suit up!?
The problem is the business suit. Not literally; but, what it represents: business. The politicians are in business. The businessmen are in business. The Churches are in business. Everyone in the west is almost, if not entirely, by choice or otherwise, engaged in business. And what is business? The politician is selling herself to stay in business. The businessman is selling goods and services to stay in business. The Churches are selling salvation to stay in business. Business is competition. Business is war. When there is one apple and two or more people want it, they fight to see who takes it. The victor eats, the losers go hungry.
The shrewd businessman, knows better, though. Business isn't competition for her. She knows that without her enemy, her competitor, her game lacks the sufficient number of players to go on. She pretends to want world domination, she let's people believe in infinite growth, she assures the investors they will capitalize, and she makes customer loyalty and patronage, a priority; but, that's just the appearance of her game. The real goal of her game, the real way she wins, is to aim to lose, gracefully; while, also, aiming to ensure her competition doesn't win swiftly and altogether, outright.
When that happens, the game is extended; the drama continues to unfold. The drinks continue to flow. The appetite has time to recoup so that the feast may continue. The merriment is savored and extended through enjoyable conversation and good company. There is time for leisure, music, and dance. And when a winner emerges, as one must, the two opponents shake hands, and plan a date for the next game. The shrewd businessman knows it's okay to win or lose a battle; but, the war must go on indefinitely, for it's the only way to ensure peace and prosperity. Without the enemy, without an opponent, with nothing and no one to compete with, there is no game to be played; and when the game stops, 'the party is over,' so to speak. To lose, ultimately means the end of the game; and that's also what a win means: the end of the game.
The shrewd businesswoman knows her greatest ally, is her enemy, and that her main priority is to the health and wellness of her business; the life blood of which is it's constituents, the tools of their trades, and the quality of that which is to be worked upon. The shrewd manager knows the life and blood of her employees is the continued patronage of her customers. And the shrewd employee knows his life blood is the quality of the goods he produces or the services he provides. The good employee doesn't want to be a manager, much less a businessman; he is too concerned with the quality of his work; he is content enough to be able to do well at his work. The good manager doesn't want to be a business woman; she is too concerned with the welfare of her team and the smooth operation of the affairs she owes responsibility to. She knows that is the best way to provide quality, and ensure loyal patronage. And the good businessman goes largely unnoticed, unseen; and when his job has been done well, he has no need to fear a loss of his position; and no desire to a find better one. She knows all the best positions are already occupied. And that is her fountain of joy; for she is that rare breed of person, who likes to work, for the sake of work alone.
For the business woman, her work is her play. When her duties are finished, she toils in solitude in dim light, and works on into the night. Her keystrokes and signatures are written in a calm but swift fury. Her files are organized. And for a few brief hours, she is not duty bound to family, friend, spouse, child, or her possible disposition in the lack of any thereof.
The suit...
The suit is the attire of these types of people. In my opinion, hopefully there are better games to be played, than the games of late. Profits and wages, voters and members, devotees and followers, are a measure of who is winning and who is losing; people of character, however, and the quality of their work/contributions, are the measure of enjoyment, of which the quality of the game is to be judged. A good game brings bliss to winners and losers alike. It may be sweet to win and bitter to lose, but we are nourished by the source of those flavors, the substance of which is the very game itself.
Is endless competition, endless war, the only way forward? Is that business as usual for continued prosperity, and lasting peace? I hope not.
Win or lose, but, make sure it's a Good Game...
gg, goat..
