What’s Good for Me is (Not) Good Enough
Both the marketplace and the political world have seen a “dangerous erosion of the rules and principles” that have made American economy thrive in the past…“Instead of thinking about what’s good for America or what’s good for business,” he said, “a mentality has crept into certain corners of Washington and the business world that says, “what’s good for me is good enough.” Baltimore Sun article, September 17, 2007
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
These comments were made by Presidential candidate, Barak Obama, in a speech at NASDAQ this week where he chastising Wall Street values. Whether we support Senator Obama or not, his remarks are worth noting and worth expanding past financial considerations to the world at large. I think it is safe (and sad) to say that most of us operate with the mentality he described: what’s good for me is good enough.
You might ask:
- What’s the problem with that?
- Why is wanting what’s good for me wrong?
- Shouldn’t I take care of myself and my family?
Of course you should! Doing what’s “good” for us isn’t wrong. It’s just not enough! When we restrict our thinking to ”what’s good for me,” we miss the bigger picture. What we need to remember is that we are each connected to each other. What do we do impacts everyone else one way or another.
Here ’s a story for reflection:
A successful landowner was told the well in his village was running low.
“Just make sure we have enough for my fields and family,” was his reply.
The man’s advisor asked, “Sir, what about the villagers?”
Said the rich man,”That’s not our problem.”
Early each day the landowner sent his workers to haul as much water from the well as was needed to maintain his estate.
Soon the villagers found there was not enough water for their own needs. Their families were thirsty. Their crops were dying. They began to fight over what to do.
Again, the advisor asked, “Sir, shouldn’t we do something to help the villagers?”
The man repeated, “No, it’s not our problem.”
Before long, though the wealthy man’s estate was thriving and his children were healthy, the villager’s crops were gone and everyone was hungry. Worse than that, there was not even enough water for drinking and bathing, so the children began to get sick. Fights broke out around the village well, and people began to steal each other’s water jugs.
The advisor: “Sir, shouldn’t we stop them from fighting?”
The wealthy man again: “No, it’s not our problem.”
Before long, the fights between the villagers grew into riots. The people attacked one another and began burning the city. The landowner was dismayed when flames leaped up to take his fields and his beautiful home. As he fled with his family in horror, his advisor turned to him and said wryly,
“Maybe it was our problem!”
Life is really very simple: everything we do impacts others!
- As our wealth grows, someone else’s is diminished.
- When we refuse to share, someone does without.
- If we take more than our portion, there is not enough for someone else.
- When we start trouble, others suffer.
- When we damage what we share, everyone loses.
The Greater Good is best served when we honor our place in the world as one of many. Everyone benefits when we balance our own self-interest with the needs of the whole.
Do some soul searching! Ask yourself if Senator Obama is right in saying Americans treat the economy as if “what’s good for us is good enough.” How are you living in denial of the financial and social consequences of your actions?
You have the power to change. You can make a difference. You can begin to see the bigger picture. You can make the choice to believe that What is good for each of us is what is good for all of us.
Consider the Greater Good. You Can Be a Blessing!
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September 20th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
This guy is all about rhetorics. A typical politician.