Blog 775 – 09.15.2017
Tainted By The Profit Motive

In the Declaration of Independence of the thirteen American colonies from the United Kingdom those signing pledged their fortunes and their sacred honor in the pursuit of setting up a separated nation. Public service was then considered a sacred duty, volunteers did so with expectation of little or no pay. Mainly land owning, successful and professional people of means donated public service for the greater good of the country and not to profit themselves. As they would be more than a few of them citizen-soldiers securing the actual release from the U.K. they intended to be citizens first political leaders second and term limits were not even a question as most were only interested in serving a short time intending to let others too shape public policy. The rules did not have to all be written down but were as rights and responsibilities often are – self evident. Two four years terms were more than enough for our first President and he set the pattern unquestioned for more than a hundred years. He knew that he had a responsibility to model the best behavior for others to follow. Don’t we all but especially those who would lead.

Once upon a time in the United States of America it was not all about profits. Public office and officials were not bought and sold. Religious spokesmen had a message of love and service to their fellow man and were not just about building the biggest following, edifices, and collecting the largest offerings. I was disheartened to learn that yet another popular televangelist showed his profit motive blantantly by refusing to shelter Hurricane Harvey evacuees in his mega church in Houston, Texas. He is well known for his words about love and services but brother our deeds always shout louder than our words.

I believe people are entitled to and should if they wish profit from their time, their talent, their sweat, and the selling and or the renting of their ideas, intellectual property or real estate. I do not however believe anyone is entitled to profit on the misery or weaknesses of others nor should anyone get rich at the expense of others. All of us have so much to give and much of that we should freely give to others as it was freely given to us.

Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek creator, envisioned a future world where people worked for other rewards than money. Service to others, to the greater good, and doing what you love doing is a great way to live. True non-profit organization add so very much to humanity. And I am not talking about the profiteers but the true volunteers. Before you give a dollar to even well respected help organizations you owe it to yourself and those you seek to help to look up what percentage of donations actually go to helping those in need. That information is available on-line and easily accessed. Many are shocked and surprised to learn how very little actually filters to the intended recipients. Charity it seems is a big profitable business too. This is not new but there is a better way, a golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” The real root causes of the profit motive gone crazy are two: The belief in the lie called “Shortage” and the equally erroneous and untrue thought than neither we ourselves nor anyone else is really worthy of love and respect. We are and when we realize that we know everyone else in too.

That is some knowledge we can all profit from.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White