As humans we are in constant exchange, with the world and with other people. Ideally, we try to keep this exchange balanced. However, it can happen that we try to take more than we give, especially if we are convinced that we did not get what we deserved in the past. It can also happen that we give more than we take in the hope of getting something back eventually. In economy, we define the profit as the difference between what we take (income) and what we give (expense). Taking more than we take is seen as an economic success. To be generous is considered a luxury that that we can only achieve in business when we have reason to believe that it is going to pay back as a result of improving relations. Still, the verdict that we always gain a profit on someone else’s expense in business is not quite doing it justice. That is because the value of what we give an take is judged differently. When I buy bread for a certain amount of money, the bread has a higher value for me than the money. So I am winning with the trade. The baker on the other hand considers the money to have more value for him than the bread, so he is also winning with the trade. We have a win-win-situation. The trade is balanced when both trading partners consider their gain to be equal. Not balanced, and thus in the opinion of most unfair, is a trade where one partner gains much more than the other. A trade that leaves one partner with a loss does not exist in the world of an economic person, because no one would agree to it. So, is everything fine with our economy then? Does everyone benefit from it, although maybe not in equal parts?
When a trade is very unbalanced, because one partner does not know the value of a product, or needs something desperately for survival, or is lured in the trade with empty promises, then most people have a bad feeling about it. Especially when they must look in each other eyes when doing the trade. However, our economic system is designed in a way that it rewards those who manage to ignore this bad feeling. In a private environment we are judged as selfish and antisocial when we exploit the weak position of someone to gain an unreasonable advantage. In a business environment on the other hand, we find incentives to do just that. It is made easy for us to overcome a feeling of guilt, for example with many trades done anonymously across a far distance. Additionally, ruthless entrepreneurs are not just rewarded with money and power, but also with the recognition. Having money and power, they meet our definition of success, and thus harvest admiration. They are portrayed as a successful person, as a good example worth emulating. This recognition helps the affected to get over the bad feeling of acting unfair. Many entrepreneurs do also feel forced to never give more than the situation requires, because otherwise their own existence and competitiveness would be seriously compromised.
In todays economy both the carrot and the stick are motivating us to behave based on the demands of profit and competition. Competition is deeply embedded in our economic system and both valued and worshipped as a driving force of wealth. Some say that the prosperity we have today can only be achieved with competition. So we have accepted that competition is the primary guide in our economic life. We create our laws in a way that we remain competitive with other legal systems, and we use our creativity and mental abilities to improve or at least maintain our competitiveness. As a result, almost everything we do is economically motivated, and life on earth becomes one huge competition. That is exhausting, and the reward is questionable. Very few manage to prioritize or integrate their own life projects in this environment. We are mostly busy trying to deliver, to be functional and meeting the expectations that both we and others have for us. Even if we manage to stay on top of it, this life does not make us happy in the long run. We may get into a rush, making us numb and distracting us from our discontent.
Probably most of us have at some point experienced how rewarding it can be to give and help other people. It can make us very happy, when the balance is kept and when we do not exhaust ourselves too much. This is not always the case, and we may believe that on the one hand we must take with the mercilessness that modern economy teaches us so that on the other hand we can give to our loved ones. So we take the tempting offers, the well-paid jobs, the profitable investment opportunities and the cheap products that are offered to us everywhere. But as humans we can not only adapt to our surroundings, we can also shape them. To do so, it is not necessary to turn the world upside down in an effort to transform it into our idea of a better world. It is sufficient to know the rules of the game played and use the available freedom to make the world a tiny bit better. Even that is easier said than done if we want to make it the principle of all our actions. But in a small area we are already doing just that, and the task is to extend this area steadily throughout life, as we get the possibilities to do so.