The mercy in commerce

Before we decry again the commercialism of this pre-Christmas season, perhaps we could remember (in the words of Eckhart Tolle) that “Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”  

What if, instead of fighting commercialism, we took the time to understand that merc, the root word of commerce, is also the root of the French word, Merci, and of mercy?  What these words share is a common sense of connection.

So instead of snarling at the crowds and stomping through the stores and growling at the relentless parade of ads on TV, what if we were to smile at the urge to connect that surges through it all: the parents and friends who shop together, the people who comb the stores looking for that one perfect gift for someone they love, the tired shopgirls on their feet all day, earning money to buy presents for their families -- if we understand the root of it all is connection, does that not make it easier to bear?