Symbiotic or Parasitic?

Business – far too often business has been associated with green and riches have been associated with wealth. Was getting gas today and struck up a conversation someone surprising who was taller than me. He asked me about myself and being in the south he was amazed a fiscally conservative, socially moderate Lutheran who happened to be an ethnic minority. Of course his first question was about President Obama. Let me state something for the record – regardless of party as an American I think it is important that if we respect our process we put our respective differences aside o support of leader. Further I believe so often people forget he inherited a mess that was a long time in the making, All of his predecessors back to Nixon played a part in the creation of our current situation. We all ignored the warning shots sent by Enron and World Com. We ignored the many people in the business and financial sector who told us this will lead to our demise. Even General Powell’s caution on the middle East of we break it we own it fell on death ears. Let me bottom line this – GREED IS NOT SUSTAINABLE!

Back from my tangent

I do not:

• think being rich and being wealthy are the same
  
• think the rich should receive special treatment
  
• believe in trickle down economics
  
• believe the ends justify the means
  
• believe greed is a good thing
  

I do believe

• the flow of the economy starts with the consumer/customer
  
• the people (not the government) will restore the economy
  
• character counts
  
• culture has nothing to do with the amount of money you have
  
• equity in all things – the rich, working class and poor should receive the same treatment
  
• the strength of this country lies not in the rich buy in the size of our middle class
  
• the true economic engine of this country is not the large corporation but the micro, small and mid sized business
  
• the true minorities in this country are not those of ethnic decent rather those who own a business
  
• you can tell much about a person by the company they keep and the people they call friends
  
• a liar will steal and sooner or later a thief can and will kill
  
• the problem with the country is not that God is not in the institution – rather that the creator is not in the person
  
• all people (unless they served in ROTC or Scouts) regardless of gender should be conscripted to two years mandatory service either in peace corps, red cross, salvation army, military, etc.
  
• It is shear arrogance to assume yours is the best and only way (pride comes before the fall)
  
• If your way was better your would be business doing it instead and leading by example because the only way to teach is not with your words but your actions 
  

There is an old saying the fruit never falls too far from the tree or you can tell a tree by its fruit. Looking at this country what fruit have we produced of late? What I see is that we are leaving a wonton path of destruction and instead of leaving people the same or better than when we found them they are worse. ok, now that I have laid some groundwork let me share something – to survive we need sustainability not greed, empathy, not selfishness. 

• Leadership - the “process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” 
  
• Business - a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers
  
• Accountability - a tool used by people and organization to accept the positive consequences of actions they often themselves set in motion
  
• Symbiotic – a relationship where both involved benefit in a reciprocal type relationship (maybe slightly on sided) but each clearly are better together than they would be apart
  
• Exploitation – receiving an unjust benefit in political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for the benefit of others
  
• Blame – a tool used by people and organization to avoid facing the negative consequences of actions they often themselves set in motion
  
• Greed - the desire for the pursuit of money, wealth, power, food, or other possessions, especially when this denies the same goods to others
  
• Parasitic – a relationship where the host is drained of anything useful until the host dies and in some cases the parasite (the parasite, takes from the host, sometimes for a prolonged time. In general, parasites are much smaller than their hosts, show a high degree of specialization for their mode of life, and reproduce more quickly and in greater numbers than their hosts). Parasites reduce host fitness in many ways, ranging from general or specialized pathology (such as castration), impairment of secondary sex characteristics, to the modification of host behavior. Parasites increase their fitness by exploiting hosts for food, habitat and dispersal. 
  

Examples:

• Symbiotic – people breath out carbon dioxide and solid and liquid waste which in turn in taken in by trees and plants and then turned into for water, fertilizer, and nutrients which the plans in turn use to create oxygen.
  
• Parasitic - the parasite Taenia solium causes 50 million tapeworm infections and 50,000 deaths from brain disease in the developing world each year
  

So what do you see as the solution?

Want my opinion - point blank - Stop attacking the president - if you have a beter way offer a solution or suggestion or better yet prove it by doing it yourself and showing with your actions (both personally and professionally) that you have a viable alternative - any fool can criticize and complain - only a leader can offer suggestions and solutions. 

If I were to take a look at your life would I see

• A path of construction or destruction?
  
• A series of issues and unresolved problems or solution?
  
• A series of failed businesses with no success or a successful (single) or series of businesses?
  

What are your accomplishments and what is the answer?