The Business of Life
When I reflect on myself and my role in the world, the word 'merchant' doesn't come to mind. But, then again, all of life is a type of 'Divine Commerce'.
Trade is an interchange of goods and commodities. When I buy something it comes into my possession, and when I sell something I'm transferring the object from my domain to someone else's. That's basic business.
It's also a framework for life.
Consciously or sub-consciously, we tend to divide life into two dimensions: The important and the less-than-important. And individual experiences seem to naturally fall into one category or the other. But we can pro-actively choose to guide – to transfer - our experiences from the not-so-meaningful orbit to the more important.
For example: If, in the middle of my busy day, one of my children is calling my cell phone about something I consider less-than-important, I need to take pause.
The topic may be trivial, but our relationship is not. Every interaction is potentially ‘important’, and here is an opportunity for 'relationship-building'. I may still choose to defer the specific conversation until later. But not because I under-value the power of the conversation.
And rest assured: If I feel it, the other party will too.
I 'commercial' language, I need to ‘procure’ slices of life from the trivial domain, ‘acquiring’ them for the sake of meaning.
This also applies to my relationship with the Divine.
If I eat a bowl of vegetable soup for lunch today, that’s relatively trivial. But does it need to be?
What if I begin by thanking my Creator for incredible world and the food I'm about to eat? What if I'm conscious of my need to make a difference in the world, and my need for nutrition as fuel?
If I'm mindful and focused, I can transfer my lunch from the mundane to the meaningful; the bowl of soup becomes a tool in my life’s mission.
When I take a situation and infuse it with meaning, I'm ‘acquiring’ it for the Divine. That's spiritual commerce.
G-d gave us a world that seems disconnected from meaning, out of His 'domain'. Our job is to 'buy it back'.
And the merchandise pays immediate dividends: The inner peace that comes with living a Purposeful Life.