Jesus Christ V Capitalism: And, Don't Be Sentimental about Networking

 "I helped a colleague. Why did I do that?"

In our professional lives we tend to learn the most from hands-on client situations. 

Over and over it has come up recently in tarot readings that both females and supposedly hard-nosed males were thrown for a loop. They assisted a "drowning" or at least vulnerable co-worker. The aid was not reciprocated. Now and then those helped even turned on them.

This interpretation of those dynamics won't get me friends. But it resonates with clients. Immediately, they identify. 

Long story short: Christianity socializes us to reach out to the weaker. Classic is Luke 10:25. That's the parable of Good Samaritan. The meme is selfless reaching out to help, even when that might fit with dominant social norms.

Actually, that whole mindset is the antithesis of capitalism, an individualistic economic system. It is the individual, not the system, who is responsible for success and for failure. 

In its rawest form it mandates moving right in to exploit weakness. Your colleague just made a mistake. It's your responsibility to the mandate for building your wealth to: Showcase how you don't do that sort of thing. Self-promotion by comparison. It's irrelevant if the in-the-soup co-worker looks even worse. 

Obviously, my clients, all with a strong Christian background, missed that lesson. And, now they know that. Course correction takes place.

Oh, there was a brief period in capitalism - call it a kind of Camelot - when other values impinged. They may be classified as humanistic rather than Christian. 

That was the heyday of the ESG (Environmental Social Governance) movement. It was a reset of capitalism beyond the bottom line. Paul, Weiss was the first firm in the US to realize how it was impacting business leaders. During the leadership of Brad Karp it established a full-service ESG practice.

That was then. 

Probably the ethical way to proceed now is this: No, you don't undermine your colleagues. But you have no responsibility to support them. That reality is depicted in the tarot deck by the wheel of fortune card.

Human beings are accountable for their own destiny. And, don't get sentimental about networking. That order of things is nothing but wild west horse trading. To be looped in you have to have something of value to trade. It could be the ability to grant favors. Or it could be niche-relevant intel. Or access to power. Otherwise you will not only be excluded. Your attempts to be admitted will be derided. In the early 1990s public affairs guru Bob Dilenschneider systematized that concept as The Favor Bank.

Path to earning a good living, finding your tribe and not going insane is doable.

Let’s start the journey together with a Tarot reading.

One free question.

Jane Genova, 3^rd Generation Psychic 203-468-8579, jangenova374@gmail.com