Your money is my money?

There are these times when a philosopher's advice seems so attractive to you merely because it allows you to interpret it to suit yourself. The true meaning of what he said may actually be unpalatable to you but who cares about true meanings? It is enough that you can quote the guy to support your own point.

Thus, when Tiru says this...

Vaanigam seyvaarkku vaanigam penip piravum thamapol seyin - Tirukkural

To deal with other people's things/money with the same care as for your own is the mark of a good merchant - Loose Translation

You see, as usual, some things are only implicit in the Kural. Like, this can be translated as  'To deal with other people's things like your own..' which seems like an open invitation to treat the things or money entrusted to you as your own. Whereas, what Tiru actually wants you to do is to live up to the trust by expending the same effort to safeguard and grow it as you would with your own.

Like, if you are entrusted with the job of selling a friend's house, you are not expected to sell it and keep the proceeds. Nor are you supposed to sell at less than market and split the difference with the buyer to line your pockets. Nor are you expected to sell it at rockbottom prices just to be rid of the job. This, then, is what he means by 'treating as your own' which is a far cry from the meanings that will have you cartwheeling down the streets in joy. But, then, to be considered a 'good' merchant is tough, no? 

Oh, the whole problem is that the definition of a 'good merchant' has changed radically. I mean, just think of a guy who actually does not maximise his profits! Could he be a good merchant? But you will probably align with Tiru if you think of who is a 'good merchant' to whom you can entrust the sale of YOUR house; not whether you'd consider someone a good merchant by assessing how he has dealt with some third party's house.

The thing, though, is that treating other's things with the same care as you treat yours is still no guarantee of earning a good name. I mean, I may actually NOT actually be good enough a negotiator to get the best possible price and would actually settle for a lower price even if I am selling my own house. I may be a risk taker when investing my own money whereas the other guys may prefer not to lose his money in a stock market crash.

There are these things which Tiru probably assumes that 'merchant' will cover. The competence and inclination to get the best possible deal; the understanding of the risk averseness of the other guy so that you either refuse to take on the job OR work on it differently than your own money. (As in, the CARE you take will be the same in trying to fulfill the goals of the investment. The GOALS of the investment, though, will align with the other guy's mindset and not yours.) So, if I am a merchant, I am supposed to have these de minimis qualifications; and to be a 'good' merchant, I must take as much care as I would do with my own.

All this really does not lead to happy acceptance among us guys. But, who really thinks of all of that. You simply use this kural to mean 'Your money is my money' and happily move on. C'est la vie.