Sacred Commerce and the Twelve Virtues of the Merchant Priest
In November 2017, I posted a book review of Sacred Commerce, followed by a post on the Twelve Virtues of the Merchant Priest, honor, loyalty, nobility, virtue, grace, trust, courage, courtesy, gallantry, authority, service, and humility — traits that “automatically lift us to a higher octave of being.” I was going to do a post each month on the twelve virtues culminating at the end of 2018, but as it does, life got in the way, plus I got hung up a few times trying to find examples for what constituted selfless behavior in a society of me-first individuals. I’m down to the last two — service and humility. And I really can’t think of a better example of service than of our current President, Joe Biden.
Here is Service:
I’ve been a public servant for over 30 years so I know what it is to walk the tightrope of restrictions — Hatch Act; public scrutiny; gift giving; and more — all things most public servants take seriously. But nowhere is that job of public servant more difficult than as president of the United States where being the top executive is like walking the tightrope between the Twin Towers every day. Despite the Herculean effort it takes, President Biden has managed to do it and hold the country together in the process despite the great tug of war between the right and left.
After a single year in office, Biden has dealt with the coronavirus, the January 6th insurrection fallout; removal from Afghanistan; climate change resulting in huge storms and rogue tornadoes; the assault on voting rights; inflation; and a news media that throws shade for sport — and it’s not just Fox News although they are arguably the worst. Could his job be any harder? Despite issues that are magnitudes beyond the normal, Biden has taken them all on with a quiet determination in service to his country no matter what the media says.
He has outperformed the last four decades of American growth with an “unbeatable” economic performance.
Under Biden, unemployment is down, wages are growing, companies’ profit margins are up, and congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to repair our roads, bridges, water systems, and more. So why the shade? Are Americans just jaded and contrary?
There’s a legal maxim that possession is 9/10s of the law meaning that ownership is easier to maintain if you have possession of it. As President, Mr. Biden has ownership of the country’s ills, whether his fault or not, because people’s basic nature is to blame, and generally, blame falls to the person in charge. The fact that Biden can’t control the supply chain, for example, doesn’t matter: as President, it’s his job to fix it. It’s a little Pollyannaish to think this way, but it comes with the territory in a blame society, and Biden has accepted it without even flinching. Meanwhile, he has delivered the best economy since the Regan era with a growing GDP, along with the lowest unemployment, down from about 6% to 4% since taking office with the creation over 4 million jobs.
Yet haters gotta hate so they say nothing about these successes.
And do you know why? Because reality is 9/10s of perception and many people are living in an alternate reality controlled by the media. At least some of the media (hi Fox!) is only out to serve the media — not America, despite all it’s flag -waiving BS — and its own ratings because that translates to money in the pocket. Not truth, not fair and balanced reporting, not trying to save our democracy — these are all secondary to cold hard cash, so even when the news is not so bad the media spins it so it sounds bad. Why? Because bad sells.
Look, none of us gets to choose the suite of problems that come across our desks and the president of the United States knows this better than most. But wouldn’t it be nice if we Americans stopped complaining for ten minutes about all the things going wrong and instead, focused on the things going right? Maybe say “thank you” instead of “what have you done for me lately?” With a little gratitude, maybe we can all be friends again despite our political affiliations rather than watch the maelstrom of misery brought on by our insane culture of individualism. I’m all for individualism, but not at the expense of every other thing we’ve worked to build. Sometimes you have to take one for the team, and yes, that might mean wearing a mask on an airplane.
There is a Native American proverb that says: “no tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves.” We are all of the same tree so unless we want to start hacking off limbs to the detriment of all we need to figure out how to talk to each other civilly with an eye toward a common goal of a robust democracy rather than the hollow and singular ruling by a designated few. There is no way that only some of us win here. Either we all win or we all lose. Those are the only two choices despite what Fox News wants you to believe.
How can you be of service to your country? Start by doing something in service to someone else, maybe a hello to someone to whom you wouldn’t usually give the time of day. Follow it up with a smile, a nod, a thank you, perhaps, and see what happens next. The magic is in the moment and the moment is slipping away. Grab it before it does.
pam lazos 1.30.22
Green Life Blue Water 
thank you for sharing Information. It was nice description about blueprint of humanity
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure and thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
Hi, I am writing to you from Italy. I believe that if every person did a good deed then the world would be better. Sometimes it is enough just to be nice, to help someone, or to say nice and positive things to others. So I pass from here and I leave you a greeting and Happy Sunday to all 🤗🌸🌼🌻🌺🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello 👋🏻 Fairy Queen from Italy, home of my grandparents. This is the nicest thing I’ve heard all week and I totally agree with you. I will pass it on. Happy Sunday back to you. 🥰😍🙏
LikeLike
“There is no way that only some of us win here.” 💗 As others have said here in your comments: the bad sells better. I’m not sure I understand why all this vitriol towards Joe Biden. But most of all, I do not understand why people are determined to bring ruin to things they “don’t like.” Fox News is fear mongering at best, at worst democracy destroying. “Win at all costs” might be the true slogan vs. “Fair and Balanced.” Other news agencies are also throwing lots of shade, as you say. Seems like the great American discontent never wanes despite all the survival against tragic times and challenges. I still strive to believe our challenges are bringing us together. We can see our way through this as one Nation. One day. for liberty and justice for all. One day at a time. Until death do us part. The right and left are still married but in an awful relationship. I am curious to see what new systems this country can give birth to that lead to survival, and I’m also really curious to see how all these infrastructure funds build out. Thank you, Pam for writing about service, and for your service.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So we’ll said, Ka! Thank you for putting thoughts to paper. 📝
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Pam. I like the idea of focusing on what’s going right instead of what’s going wrong. And looking for things to be grateful for. Works for me. Bob
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Bob. ;0)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t vote as I’m not a citizen but I think President Biden is doing a wonderful job – look today alone what he has reinstituted to help reduce cancer dates by one-half. Arguably, he has enough on his plate, yet takes this on – on Twitter I see the hatred and the venomous attacks on this man and it makes me so angry.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You and me both, Linda.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s said for a long time ago; Divide and Rule! And we can see it all around the world. It is always hard if someone wants to do something good. As you already noted; The bad sells better! I am with you, your soul and mind, my dear Pam. Thank you. 💖💖🙏🥰😘💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s what it’s going to take for reason to prevail, Aladin. 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
In one darling. In darling. xxxxxx
LikeLiked by 2 people
💕♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Pam. The assault on voting rights is real and profound. If apathy/lack of concern keeps people away from the polls, then the good ol” USA will slide even farther to the right than it already has. Decent-minded people need to make their voices heard now.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, Neil, how right you are. I was heartened to see that gerrymandering has also helped democrats in some places. Otherwise, we are all screwed. 😱
LikeLiked by 1 person
Individualism is our greatest foe right now in our struggle to contain the coronavirus as well as address our existential crises of ecological collapse and climate change. When we think of ourselves as essential parts of the body politic, We the People, service and humility become second-nature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, right, Rose?! Why does that = “socialism” in some minds. The entire planet is social, otherwise we’d cease to exist. 😳
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a pity!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤨🤪
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brilliant thoughts here in today’s blog! So true. And of our crazy society and government… Individualism as now practised and the cancel//blame culture, terribly bad for everyone. Thank God you have a decent President now and ‘pray for us’ that our rulers may chance before the country is totally ruined – where have generosity, compassion, and truth gone? Somehow what you write here is encouraging!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, thank you, Mari! I will take encouraging!😘
LikeLike
Unfortunately, I agree with your remark that 9/10 (if not more) of the population believe everything they hear on the news or even social media. And i agree that people think that they can win while everyone else looses – or that they will always lose while everyone else wins and it is hopeless. We’ve got to work together and take care of us all, not just the ones we like best or who look just like us. It will be a lot of work to dig ourselves out, but dig we must.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder how many more millennia it will take humans to learn that, eh?!🤪🤨
LikeLiked by 2 people
‘The magic is in the moment and the moment is slipping away. Grab it before it does.’ THAT my friend is an utterly true and fantastic saying. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, 🙏 my dear. I’m glad you liked it! 🥰😘😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did. So many truths actually about so much of life, from moans etc etc, what we hear not being what is going o–across the board– to it being what it is, to just take the moment, maybe because at the end of the day, that is what we have, xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Right?! And all the back and forth BS won’t mean a thing a thousand years from now. ♥️♥️♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person