"You're too Nice." -- Really?

Showtime’s series, “Billions,” is a smart, wild journey in the world of finance, legal tightwires, investor manipulation, shady deals dressed in big money, deceit, and a style of living only a few ever really experience.

Half the time I have no idea what they are talking about. The financial sophistication and the language of the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), the justice department, the FBI, and the office of the US attorney in New York City is baffling.

But, the storylines, the characters, and so much of the dialogue is so captivating and even instructive that I enjoy it. Anyone in business or law would find this series illuminating.

Mostly, though, the series is a shocking look at how a lot of life goes on in our country. Particularly how we operate in our careers, our jobs, and our relationships both in and out of work.

Even though this is a fictional series, I think it hits close to home for many viewers. Not that we know the life of high finance and a New York City luxury existence. But rather, how people act today. How they relate to one another. We can identify with that. And though some of the themes are contrived and over the top, there is an aura of insensitivity and harsh, even brutal competitiveness in the series that so often seems to be the only way to get ahead in America.

There is an almost coldblooded, galling, retaliatory mindset that has crept into all areas of American life. Especially in the workplace. But even just in how people interact in the grocery store, at the mall, at sporting events, and on airplanes. “Billions” reveals our lack of humanity.

There is a scene in one of the episodes where the main character, billionaire hedge fund giant, Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) quotes the high-risk guru, Nichalos Taleb saying, “Become anti-fragile or die.”

That says it, doesn’t it? Isn’t that what we contend with in so much of life today? Isn’t that the American motto these days? Putting on inner armor to protect ourselves from the battles at work, out of work, even at home. To make sure no one pushes us around, takes advantage of us, gets one up on us. “Become anti-fragile.”

I don’t want to be “anti-fragile.” I really don’t. Now, to be sure, I tend to be far too often way too tolerant of people and circumstances. I know that about myself. It usually takes a lot to get me angry but when I do, I tend to freak. All of the innate defense forces within me rise up to right the wrong, to stand on the side of the losers, to come to the help of the person that is being trammeled by the worst kinds of injustice, meanness, rudeness, malice, arrogance or violence. I don’t see that as weakness.

Years ago, when I was working in retail sales in a position that was all commission, no salary, I struggled to succeed. I wanted the team to work together and I tried to demonstrate that by not hogging all the customers that came our way. One of my coworkers told me one day on break, “You’re too nice. Forget teamwork. This is dog eat dog, man.” I took that as an insult. Too nice?

Perhaps that’s just the way the world works. It certainly seems to be the way our government and most our leaders in society behave. There is a gross selfishness in government today and in other professions that disgusts me. I’m all for people affirming their own gifts, their skills, their abilities. There’s nothing wrong in promoting yourself in something you believe in. But being pretentious, unbending, heartless, manipulative, pushing away others, adopting an “anti-fragile” persona—these are all too common today. They are not qualities I respect or care to imitate. That doesn’t make me better than anyone else. But it does give me a better sense of who I want to be.

The Dalai Lama says, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

Who can’t practice that? I want to try, without fear or intimidation, and without believing that I am being too nice.

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The Unclad Soul

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