Fireside Chat: Co-Opting Merit

Live in accordance with the nature of things

Build your house on solid ground

Keep your mind still

When giving, be kind

When speaking, be truthful

When ruling, be just

When working, be one-pointed

When acting, remember – timing is everything

Tao te Ching – Verse 8

Do not become elated with excellence that is not your own. When success comes from employees, management tends to take credit for themselves. When triumph comes through a wife, a child, or another family member, the patriarch tends to claim that he is the reason for their success. When we widen our influence to include everyone else’s conquest, it creates an environment that breeds contempt. Therefore, if a man proclaims, “I have a handsome horse,” he must become aware that his elation is a byproduct of the horse. When his son succeeds in schooling, education, and career, the father’s elation is not a product of his ability. Too often, men attempt to live through their sons, assuming that he is the root cause of their decedent’s success. Such logic is malum in se. A man’s role is to put more into the world than he receives; such an action is impossible if he continues to inflate his influence artificially. A man must be elated through merit that is his own, ensuring that he does not take credit for the work of others. Once more men understand this fact, there will be less resentment in the culture and the world.