Carte Blanche

We applaud those who have achievement in their fields of study: business, philosophy, religion, science and politics. But achievement in one area doesn't give one super powers to understand every area. An actor or a singer might have achieved popularity due to their art but their opinions in areas other than acting or singing are no better than a person on the street who has also studied the subject out. This holds true for every area. A scientist who has achievements in one discipline may not have any more knowledge in another area than a bus driver. A religious leader who is good at speculating on eternal things has no more knowledge in secular issues than a common person who studies the subject out. Having a degree in education doesn't make one an expert in business. This is the fallacy of notoriety. Everyone is due respect concerning their achievement but we shouldn't give anyone carte blanche for all their opinions.

When we look at net worth, personal possessions are a small portion of it. A person who is wealthy will have their money invested. With investments the goal is to find someone who is managing their business well but lacks finances to advance. We give them money to get the equipment and personnel they need in hopes that they will succeed and share a small portion of the profits. Rich people, retirees and young people planning for the future will participate in investing. The recipients will do their best to keep the equipment and personnel working so the profits keep coming. These relationships are healthy and the personnel will be able to take care of their families and invest themselves. Having a high net worth means a person has helped a lot of others to succeed.

We all have a desire to feed both our ego and our compassion. Filling this appetite is good and gives us motivation. When running a country, business or a household, we have to set limits on these areas to avoid failure. A business that gives to charity but neglects it's worker's wages will have a hard time keeping good workers. A household that takes in more people than it can provide for will starve eventually. Managing things well allows us to achieve our dreams and there is always a point where we have to limit how much we help others. A prodigal is someone who uses up their resources for popularity. It doesn't matter if it is ego driven or compassion driven, when they end up running out of resources, everyone suffers. Profits that are earned on a business that is in debt don't really belong to the company but to the investors. To use these profits for play or charity is unjust. It is up to the investors to give these profits to whom they themselves choose. A country in debt is obligated to their investors. If they default, everyone suffers. If a country still has poor of it's own while owing debt, they have no business taking in more poor people. This is prodigal behavior and it risks the dreams of all its citizens.