Introduction

Introduction After discussing the definition, purpose and method of trade in the first book; religion and faith in the second, as the basic principles of any honest living which add to life’s beauty and lead man to his truepurpose, it now seems to be due time to speak of the virtue of righteousness, the leading light in the life ofany creature regardless of age or class. Righteous living and virtuous public life are consistent with the harmony of one’s nature and befittingany honorable trader. Rude young men, often traders who do not seek training at a proper source,most commonly, follow their father’s example and emulate the skill and conduct they observed in their father. T aking fathers as the only role models they either never reach the same level or, if they do, they never surpass it. The consequence of such a pattern is the decadence of today’s world, which becomes nothingmore than rotten ground. In such an environment, a trader can only be sullied with misconceptions,improvidence, and lacking any trace of sense. Moreover, people with such a background have degraded thehigh merit of professional trade. In practice, these traders act as if they were apes, who merely do whatthey see others do, without employing common sense. But brave sons, worthy of praise, must aspire tonot only be their father’s successors, but also to surpass them in their skill and virtue. If this were commonly aspired to, the world would grow ever more beautiful and perfect, instead of worse and worse, as wecan witness today. Romans had such an approach, and we have been emulating their achievements andideas. In Cicero’s

sixth book, On the State, one can read about Africanus Junior, the son of Paul Emilio,who had looked up to his father and excelled in achieving fame and oratory skills. There are many other famous and virtuous Romans we should regard highly as paragons of virtue. Many of them were of less thannoble birth, but they nevertheless left such heritage behind and used their noble minds to rise to greatfame. Such is the story of V aron, born to a family of butchers, and Socrates, born to a family of stonecuttersor sailors. Many others, despite being lowborn, became so meritorious that their fame excelledmany others. Thus, considering the fact that human kind – in the field of trade especially – has debasedto such a degree that men of integrity have become such a rarity, we find it is essential to mention whichvirtuous qualities every trader must have. Before moving on, we will talk about the dignity and the callingof the trader, and later the emphasis will be on virtues.