Like Water

Starbucks is pricey, but they prioritize giving you an experience to remember. I visited a local Starbucks with a friend and wanted nothing more than bottled water. Theirs cost a little more than $2. I couldn’t justify the expense. I had a tight budget. The manager had compassion on me and gave me a bottle of Ethos water for free - on the house. I was grateful. After months of working in a public library, where I might add you can fill up empty containers with purified water at no cost, I saved up enough to afford maybe not the finer things in life, but small things with a price tag attached. I revisited the Starbucks where that kind soul had compassion on me and I bought a $10 gift certificate for the holiday gift exchange at the library where I worked. I spent three to almost four times what the water cost - the water that was given to me at no charge, just to express gratitude - to show that I was grateful.

What’s my point? I’m a little closer to defining the categorical comparative. So, before we dive into the categorical comparative, let’s describe the categorical imperative. The latter was defined by Kant. He taught us that we should behave in a way that we can arrive at a universal maxim based on our actions. If I’m hungry and I pass by an ice cream shop with no money in my pockets, should I steal from the store owner? If I did, then whenever anyone in the world gets hungry, but doesn’t have money to spend, they’ll have the right to steal from shop owners. This, of course, would be unfair. But this is a myopic vision. What if the store owner recognized the hunger I experienced was real and offered me a scoop on the house? I could later repay with gratitude in whatever form that took. I could save up and spend money on ice cream when I had the resources or even consider bringing friends to the establishment. This would more than make up for a temporary lack of funds.

So, we learn a lesson: you scratch my back and I scratch yours.

Money shouldn’t limit us. It should open up opportunities for generosity.

No one should go to bed hungry. No one should suffer from theft. If we all learn the principle of giving more than we take, we could possibly fuel a future economy of equity, not simply equality or a lack there of.

Though the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, when you design a bridge, you should use math in the strictest terms. Two plus two equals four not five.

So, we rely on both the universal principles of philosophy and the universal language of math when seeking understanding about theories in economics. There is short-term loss and long-term gain to factor in. These are spiritual truths as much as they are specific outcomes translated into dollars and cents. Don’t be greedy. Support the needy. You will receive a return on your investment. You can attract wealth. Help someone climb the ladder. They may be an angel in disguise.

Like water reflects the face, our hearts mirror each other (Proverbs 27:19). When we show kindness, we receive kindness in return. Place emphasis on intention as much as in action. Purify your thoughts. Purify your heart. Plant good seeds, like good deeds, and water them until they grow into the fullness of their destiny. You’ll reap a harvest if you do not faint or grow weary (Galatians 6:9).

Best,

Yeru