Eisiau trwsio'r economi?
Y tro nesaf y byddwch chi'n prynu coffi, prynwch gwpan i'r person y tu ôl i chi. Neu wrth i chi falu'ch ffordd drwy'r cymudo yn y bore, codwch y tâl tollbŵ ar gyfer y gyrrwr y tu ôl i chi, wedi'i orchuddio â'i llyw ac yn rhefru ar yr oedi hir.
Rydych chi wedi clywed y dyfyniad enwog Gandhian hwnnw am fod y newid, wel mae'r rhain yn fesurau da i ddechrau, yn llawn mwy o ddyrnod nag y byddech chi'n ei ddychmygu.
Mae'r agwedd hon at fywyd yn dechrau gyda'r rhagosodiad canlynol: Beth yn union wnes i (neu chi) i haeddu bod yn fyw? Os gallwch chi brosesu'r cwestiwn hwnnw a dod allan gan feddwl ei fod yn anrheg na allwch chi byth ei dalu'n ôl, yna dechrau bywyd o roi mwy yw'r unig ffordd resymegol ac o bell i fynd. Os nad y peth mwyaf gwerthfawr sydd gennych chi yw unrhyw beth rydych chi'n ei ennill, pam fod yn stingy gyda'r holl bethau llai. Gallwch chi ddechrau'r arfer hwnnw o fwy o haelioni gyda mwy o ddiolchgarwch. A lle gwell i ddechrau na gyda'ch mam, ond peidiwch â stopio yno. Mae teulu, ffrindiau a'r ffin olaf, dieithriaid, i gyd yn bynciau teilwng.
Gadewch i ni adolygu'r hyn sy'n ein poeni. Bu bron i'n system ariannol ddymchwel ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl. Fe wnaethom ei gynnal yn ôl gyda'r hyn oedd ar ôl o'n hadnoddau cymunedol, ac ychydig o dâp scotch yma ac acw i gywiro'r diffygion systemau. Ac yn awr rydym yn cael ein hunain ag adferiad mor anemig dim ond y cyfoethog sy'n gallu ei deimlo. Mae'n rhaid cael ffordd well.
Mae ffeirio yn ffordd dda o oroesi economi lousy. Gallaf drwsio toiledau; gallwch chi lanhau carburetors. Gofal i ddawnsio?
Mae dysgu i weithredu mewn rhywbeth fel "economi rhodd" yn llawer mwy gwrthdroadol, serch hynny, ac yn werth meddwl amdano.
Ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl, yn nannedd y cwymp economaidd agos, cafodd y Steamin' Bean yn Blue Springs, Missouri ei ddal yn yr economi rhoddion. Penderfynodd menyw oedd yn codi coffi drwy'r ffenestr yrru drwodd brynu cwpan arall, yn ddienw, i'r person yn y car y tu ôl iddi. Aeth y gadwyn ymlaen ar gyfer bron i 1,000 o gwsmeriaid. Digwyddodd hynny oherwydd effaith firaol haelioni.
Fel yr eglurodd perchennog Steamin' Bean, Garin Bledsoe, mewn adroddiad UPI.com ar Orffennaf 15, 2009: "Mae'n gyfnod anodd, ond mae pobl eisiau bod yn rhan o rywbeth, gan wybod bod eu 5 cents, eu doler, yn mynd i les gwell."
Mae'r llenyddiaeth am yr economi rhodd yn gyfoethog. Cofiwch y dosbarthiadau anthropoleg hynny am y potlatch? Roedd cymdeithasau cyntefig ymhell ac agos yn defnyddio "rhoddion" fel modd o greu cydlyniant a chysylltiad, a gorau oll oll i oroesi caledi byw oddi ar y tir a bygythiad llwythau llai na chyfeillgar. Roedd yr arfer hwn, mewn gwahanol ffurfiau, yn eithaf cyffredin ac yn rhagddyddio dyfeisio arian cyfred modern. Wrth i hanes fynd yn ei flaen, mae'r cyfnod hwn o gyfalaf, y pethau rydyn ni'n eu cario yn ein waledi a'n llyfrau poced, yn ddyfais newydd syfrdanol. Sut mae'n gweithio allan i chi? Bet eich bod chi fel y mwyafrif helaeth o'r byd. Waeth faint sydd gennych chi, does byth digon.
Dyma rywbeth i feddwl amdano. Ai technegau goroesi yn unig oedd yr arferion cyn-fodern hyn o "roi"? Efallai bod dyn modern yn llai tueddol o gael y math hwn o rodd sylfaenol, rhannu a dwyochredd. Ond rydyn ni'n dda am astudio pethau ac mae'r ymchwil yn parhau i ddod i mewn bod rhoi yn teimlo'n dda. Da iawn.
Beth yn union sy'n digwydd pan fyddwch chi'n prynu'r cwpanaid hwnnw o goffi i'r person y tu ôl i chi?
Rydych chi'n cael pethau da yn digwydd yn eich corff. Yn yr ymennydd mewn gwirionedd, yn ôl nifer o astudiaethau meddygol diweddar sydd wedi nodi cic niwral o fod yn hael. Mae Dacher Keltner, awdur Born to Be Good , yn crynhoi ei waith ei hun yn ogystal ag ymchwil diweddar arall yn y maes hwn yn yr erthygl hon yn y cylchgrawn Greater Good.
Ond mewn gwirionedd, a oes angen gwyddoniaeth i ddweud hyn wrthym? Codwch eich llaw os gwnaethoch chi rywbeth neis i rywun y tro diwethaf - rhywbeth nad yw wedi mynd allan o arferiad, ond gweithred wirioneddol ddigymell o haelioni heb unrhyw dâl disgwyliedig -- roeddech chi'n teimlo'n well na da. Roeddech chi'n teimlo rhyw fath o newid mewn gwirionedd, fel rhyw fath o newid o feddylfryd prinder i ymdeimlad mwy helaeth ohonoch chi'ch hun a bywyd. Iawn, dwi'n taflunio yma. Ond rydych chi'n cael y pwynt.
Rwyf wedi bod yn ymchwilio i weithgareddau a allai ddod o dan bennawd eang o'r "economi rhoddion." Mae hwn mewn gwasanaeth i lyfr yn y pen draw am CharityFocus.org , cwmni dielw sydd wedi gwasanaethu fel math o ddeorydd prosiectau economi rhodd dros y degawd diwethaf.
Un o'r gwirioneddau sylfaenol am weithgareddau sy'n ymddangos yn ddibwys â phrynu coffi i'r person y tu ôl i chi neu agor drysau i eraill yw nad ydynt yn ddibwys o gwbl. Os prynwch y cynnig bod newid y byd er gwell yn dechrau gyda chi'ch hun, mae'r gweithredoedd bach hyn o haelioni, o'u gwneud gyda bwriad llawn, yn gwneud rhywbeth eithaf pwerus. Maen nhw'n newid eich byd o gyfeiriadedd "fi" i gyfeiriadedd "ni". Gall yr ymdeimlad chwyddedig a chysylltiedig hwnnw o hunan newid popeth yn wirioneddol, o'r ffordd rydych chi'n meddwl i'r ffordd rydych chi'n ymddwyn.
Y tro cyntaf i mi ddod ar draws y dull hwn oedd ysgrifennu erthygl fach am CharityFocus.org ar gyfer The Christian Science Monitor , pan oeddwn yn bennaeth swyddfa San Francisco yn y papur newydd hwnnw. A chofiaf mor glir â chloch canu, y gydnabyddiaeth wawrio nad oedd haelioni yn ymwneud â thrwsio rhyw broblem allanol. Roedd yn ymwneud â mi. Ynglŷn â chreu shifft fewnol, am sefydlu sylfaen wahanol o feddwl.
Ysgrifennodd Lewis Hyde lyfr o'r enw The Gift yn 1983. Mae'n wych ac yn hollol wrthwynebol i grynhoi. Ond mae'n ymchwilio i gwestiynau am werth y celfyddydau creadigol, a'r cwestiwn dirfodol braidd o sut y gall artistiaid o bosibl gysoni eu "rhodd" â thueddiadau commoditeiddio economi'r farchnad. Mae'r llyfr mewn gwirionedd yn synfyfyrio am syniadau o werth, dwyochredd, a'r cysylltiadau a'r datgysylltiadau rhwng y dirwedd economaidd fodern ac "economïau rhodd" diwylliannau hŷn. Crybwyllir yma i awgrymu nad yw'r syniad o economi rhodd yn ddewis arall chwith i gyfalafiaeth. Y ffaith yw ein bod ni i gyd yn ôl pob tebyg, yn ffisiolegol ac yn gymdeithasol, i geisio cydweithrediad a chydweithrediad er gwaethaf system addysgol a chyd-destun cymdeithasol sy'n gweithio o'r crud i'r bedd i annog ynom olwg dim-swm o'r byd. Mae adnoddau'n gyfyngedig, mae bywyd yn fyr, mynnwch yr hyn a allwch -- ac os oes gennych ychydig dros ben, efallai ysgrifennwch siec at eich hoff elusen.
Yn fy ymchwil llyfr, darllenais yn llythrennol ddwsinau o dystebau bob dydd gan bobl sydd wedi darganfod yn y weithred leiaf o haelioni ymdeimlad mawr iawn o lawenydd. Ac mae mwyafrif yn penderfynu ei "dalu ymlaen" mewn rhyw ffordd. Ac felly nid yw'r gweithredoedd hyn byth yn sefyll ar eu pen eu hunain. Maent yn atseinio'n fewnol ac yn ailadrodd yn allanol.
Felly prynwch y cwpanaid hwnnw o goffi i'r person y tu ôl i chi. Byddwch chi'n teimlo'n wych. Mae gwyddoniaeth y tu ôl i chi. Ond ni fydd gwir angen y cadarnhad hwnnw arnoch. Y peth y byddwch chi'n sylwi arno fwyaf yw'r hyn sy'n digwydd y tu mewn.
A pheidiwch â gwneud unrhyw gamgymeriad, yr economi, fel y gwyddoch, ni fydd byth yr un peth.
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I completely get the point Paul is making. I also get the contrarian's points. It seems to me that most of contrarians are using the "logic" to counter Paul's argument. Paul's point can't be debated with only logical arguments alone. His points are more about being good, altruistic, spiritual and completely different from Market Based Economy. I think, there are pointers all around us - the market based economy, the self sufficient society isn't making us happier as individuals and prosperous as society. Reasons are that we are gone too far away from valuing happiness, satisfaction, friendships, goodwill as much as we value the money and hoarding what we may not need.
I had a similar feeling few years ago, and started working on an idea -- it's called "Goodsq", "Good Square", "Good to the power 2" -- call it what easy for you. My goal when I started with was to make people think more meaningfully about their relations. My realization has been humble and a bit saddening - people are more selfish and would do anything when they are made guilty, greedy and when they want to brag. My experiment is still on and I am determined. Please check this out at - www.goodsq.com.
[Hide Full Comment]Paul:
I like to think that I have a healthy contempt for
political correctness; I do not overly romanticize communities that enjoy long,
traditional social systems; and I am largely skeptical of the way the
epithet "wisdom" is so facilely applied to ancient cultures. But
I'd have to choke a little hard to apply the phrase
"primitive societies" to the Coast Salish, Haida, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan, and
Tsimshian First Nations who practice the potlatch. Quite aside the pejorative aspect of
the description, it obscures the fact that the potlatch remains a vibrant,
contemporary practice. While the
potlatch was banned in Canada between 1855 and 1951 – and for a similar period
within the United States, I believe – it did not disappear and retains a social
and economic relevance in those First Nations communities for whom it is
customary.
Still your basic point is a
good one: potlatching is a superb example of a gift economy practice.
Yvonne Wilson of Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations has written an interesting
explanatory comment on potlatching in the context of a discussion on the gift
economy, here.
MBJ
[Hide Full Comment]As we were taught in High School Driver's Ed, back in the olden days, :-), Courtesy is contagious!! Get the fever!!!!
My exhusband gave me many gifts, his love for 25 years, two fantastic children and a horse that changed the course of both our lives, the result of which is I am daily able to gift my new energy, soulfulness and conscious living to my family and friends, the process of divorce has enabled me to gift a mortgage repayment for a friend in trouble, rent for a girl friend beginning to live alone and to fly a beloved horse, Oscar, to Australia for a friend who had been supported by his love whilst undergoing cancer treatment and upon recovery had moved to Oz and missed Oscars love so much it was wonderful getting a picture of their reunion at 4 am in Perth. I have in return been supported by so many people each time I have need something, from a contact to help me with information processing or gathering to some one willing to listen on the phone at 3 am when the journey looks black and hopeless. Small or large paying forward in terms of financial or spiritual connects and transforms us.
[Hide Full Comment]I strongly disagree with your 2nd paragraph. Compassion and kindness and help in anyway is an expression of your vunerability in this day and age. If you do what you say the receiver will exploit you again and again.
My philosophy is to help anyone who is physically challenged.
In this country there are not too many opportunities for them.
And by the way for a driver ranting at the long slow lines a SMILE does wonders !
I do agree that when we are in a full-blown gift economy, money will be unnecessary. However, in the meantime, while we are bridging the gap, most gifts will cost someone financially.
Progressivepam’s definition of “gift” in her reply below
(…giving something without expectation of return (either in money or demands or
manipulation) shines light on a dilemma I often experience. I find myself
reluctant to use “Smile Cards” because I feel like I’m asking people to do
something in response to my act of kindness - i.e. pay it forward. That does
seem like a dilemma: we want to freely give a gift, yet we also want to raise
awareness around the concept by describing and demonstrating how it works.
Promoting an idea, however good, sort of implies that you’d like people to
embrace the idea.
Maybe the resolution simply lies in the spirit with which you deliver
the card. If you can maintain a playful, non-attached attitude, then it’s most
likely to succeed.
Does anyone else experience this?
I ran to the store for some additional ingredients for a dinner party, but left my purse at home. Darn, I'd have to go all the way back and I was running out of time. I asked the checker to hold onto my groceries, when the man next to me (big, black, comfortable, cheerful) said he would cover the almost $10. I was surprised, and thanked him, but said no. He insisted, saying "You never know what life has in mind for you." I understood him to mean God, so of course I accepted. I thanked him with gratitude, and gifted him the good feeling associated with unconditional giving.
a new yoga studio just opened in my town, Asheville, NC. It is totally free. beautiful space, all teachers teach as a gift, everyone is welcome. and it's taking over the yoga scene! the classes are always full, the teachers are blossoming when they are free to teach as a gift and not worry about being the best so the classes will fill up. And people are being exposed to yoga!. The community of folks who practice here volunteer their time to make the studio happen in every way. A new parking lot was needed and in under three weeks the community raised 12,000 dollars to make it happen. Its' an amazing place. Asheville Community Yoga.
In between rains I go out and plant a few saplings. In this weather they have a good chance of surviving and thriving. Is this an act of kindness or what? I don't know.
Yesterday I presented a few saplings as a birth day gift. Is this part of the gift economy? I don't know.
I have been doing things like these all my life.
This is a great article and I love the message behind it: "Give unconditionally". I can relate to this because of what I am currently facing with my country, Egypt. There are various plans similar to this that focus on simply giving without expecting. I also deeply believe that if such an economy existed, money itself wouldn't find its place in life but rather at heart. Growth, contribution, and even significance would become ego-less since the attachment to "getting back something" would perish. The reason many people find it difficult to believe such an economy would exist is because we're conditioned to think that the ultimate superior to money is a bank; never the people. If we thought beyond physically and corporate entities in such cases, the world's currency would be a smile.
One of the opportunities I believe we are changed when we can do something for someone else and they not find out about it. Another way is to be in gratitude. Both seem to change me internally and therefore I respond to others differently.
There's such a special feeling that goes along with giving or receiving a gift that just purely given. It feels like, well, love.
I think this article misrepresents the gift economy - or at the very least, it presents a mixed money/gift economy with a very heavy stress on the "money" parts. In the pure gift economy, you are supposed to make what you gift, or add value to previously received gifts and pass them on. Money does not work this way at all.