Kas soovite majandust korda teha?
Järgmine kord, kui ostate kohvi, ostke tass teie taga olevale inimesele. Või kui te hommikust pendelrännet teete, koguge teemaksu kabiini eest tagantjärele sõitva juhi eest, kes on roolil ja röögib pika hilinemise pärast.
Olete kuulnud kuulsat Gandhi tsitaati muutuse kohta. Need on alustuseks head meetmed, mis annavad rohkem mõju, kui ette kujutate.
See lähenemine elule algab järgmisest eeldusest: Mida ma (või sina) täpselt tegin, et ära teenida elus? Kui suudate seda küsimust käsitleda ja välja mõelda, et see on kingitus, mida te ei saa kunagi tagasi maksta, siis on ainuke loogiline ja kaugeltki vastastikune tee alustada suuremat annetamist. Kui kõige väärtuslikum asi, mis teil on, pole midagi, mida olete teeninud, siis miks olla ihne kõigi väiksemate asjadega. Saate seda suuremeelsuse praktikat alustada suurema tänutundega. Ja kust oleks parem alustada kui oma emaga, aga ära sellega lõpeta. Perekond, sõbrad ja viimane piir, võõrad, on kõik väärt teemad.
Vaatame üle, mis meid vaevab. Meie finantssüsteem kukkus paar aastat tagasi peaaegu kokku. Toetasime selle kokku sellega, mis meie kommunaalressurssidest alles jäi, ja siin-seal natukene kleeplinti, et parandada süsteemipuudusi. Ja nüüd leiame end paranemas, nii aneemiline, et seda tunnevad ainult rikkad. Peab olema parem viis.
Barter on hea viis viletsas majanduses ellu jääda. võin tualette parandada; saate karburaatoreid puhastada. Kas soovite tantsida?
Sellises asjas nagu "kingimajandus" toimima õppimine on siiski palju õõnestavam ja sellele tasub mõelda.
Paar aastat tagasi sattus Missouri osariigis Blue Springsis asuv Steamin' Bean peaaegu majanduskrahhi hambus kingimajandusse. Läbisõiduaknast kohvi korjav naine otsustas osta anonüümselt teise tassi tema taga sõitnud inimesele. Kett jätkus ligi 1000 kliendile. See juhtus suuremeelsuse viirusliku mõju tõttu.
Nagu Steamin' Beani omanik Garin Bledsoe 15. juulil 2009 UPI.com-i raportis selgitas : "On rasked ajad, kuid inimesed tahavad millestki osa saada, kuna nad teavad, et nende 5 senti, nende dollar läheb suuremaks hüvanguks."
Kingimajandust käsitlev kirjandus on rikkalik. Kas mäletate neid antropoloogiatunde, mis puudutasid potlatch'i? Primitiivsed ühiskonnad kasutasid laialdaselt "kingitusi" ühtekuuluvuse ja sideme loomise vahendina, seda paremini, et ellu jääda maa peal elamise raskustes ja teiste vähem kui sõbralike hõimude ohus. See tava oli erinevates vormides üsna laialt levinud ja eelnes tänapäevasele valuutaleiutamisele. Nagu ajalugu läheb, on see kapitali ajastu, kraam, mida me rahakotis ja taskuraamatutes kaasas kanname, pimestavalt uus leiutis. Kuidas see teil välja tuleb? Vean kihla, et olete nagu suurem osa maailmast. Pole tähtis, kui palju teil on, sellest pole kunagi piisavalt.
Siin on, mille üle mõelda. Kas need kaasaegsed "kinkimise" harjumused olid puhtalt ellujäämistehnikad? Kaasaegne inimene võib olla vähem kaldu sellisele põhilisele kinkimisele, jagamisele ja vastastikkusele. Kuid me oskame hästi asju uurida ja uuringuid tuleb pidevalt juurde, et andmine tundub hea. Tõesti hea.
Mis täpselt juhtub, kui ostate selle tassi kohvi selja taga olevale inimesele?
Teie kehas juhtub häid asju. Ajus tegelikult, vastavalt mitmetele hiljutistele meditsiiniuuringutele, mis on tuvastanud, et suuremeelsusest tuleneb närvilöögi. Raamatu Born to Be Good autor Dacher Keltner võtab selles ajakirja Greater Good artiklis kokku nii enda töö kui ka muud hiljutised uuringud selles valdkonnas.
Kuid kas me vajame teadust, et seda meile öelda? Tõstke käsi, kui viimati tegite kellegi jaoks midagi toredat – midagi mitte harjumusest, vaid tõeliselt spontaansest suuremeelsusest ilma oodatava tasuvuseta –, tundsite end paremini kui hästi. Sa tundsid end tegelikult justkui muutunud, nagu mingisugune nihe puuduse mentaliteedilt enda ja elu külluslikumale tunnetamisele. Olgu, ma projitseerin siia. Aga saate asjast aru.
Olen uurinud tegevusi, mis võiksid kuuluda "kingimajanduse" laiema rubriigi alla. See on mõeldud raamatule CharityFocus.orgist , mittetulundusühingust, mis on viimase kümnendi jooksul toiminud omamoodi kingimajandusprojektide inkubaatorina.
Üks põhitõdesid nii näiliselt triviaalsete tegevuste kohta nagu kohvi ostmine selja taga olevale inimesele või teistele uste avamine on see, et need pole sugugi triviaalsed. Kui ostate ettepaneku, et maailma paremaks muutmine algab iseendast, teevad need väikesed suuremeelsuse teod täie kavatsusega tehtuna midagi üsna võimsat. Nad muudavad teie maailma "mina"-orientatsioonilt "meie"-orientatsiooniks. See laienenud ja ühendatud enesetunne võib tõeliselt muuta kõike, alates sellest, kuidas te mõtlete, lõpetades sellega, kuidas te tegutsete.
Esimest korda kohtasin seda lähenemist, kui kirjutasin väikese artikli CharityFocus.org-ist The Christian Science Monitorile , kui olin selle ajalehe San Francisco büroo juhataja. Ja ma mäletan selgesti kui helisev kelluke koitvat äratundmist, et suuremeelsus ei tähenda välise probleemi lahendamist. See oli minu kohta. Sisemise nihke loomisest, teistsuguse mõtlemisbaasi rajamisest.
Lewis Hyde kirjutas 1983. aastal raamatu nimega The Gift. See on ühtaegu geniaalne ja kokkuvõtte tegemisele täiesti vastupidav. Kuid see süveneb küsimustesse loomingulise kunsti väärtuse kohta ja mõnevõrra eksistentsiaalsesse küsimusse, kuidas kunstnikud suudavad oma "kingitust" turumajanduse kaubaks muutmise tendentsidega ühitada. Raamat on tõesti mõtisklemine väärtuste, vastastikkuse ning kaasaegse majandusmaastiku ja vanemate kultuuride "kinkemajanduse" vaheliste seoste ja katkestuste üle. Seda mainitakse siin vihjamaks, et kingimajanduse mõiste ei ole vasakpoolne alternatiiv kapitalismile. Tõsiasi on see, et me kõik oleme ilmselt nii füsioloogiliselt kui ka sotsiaalselt seotud otsima koostööd ja koostööd, hoolimata haridussüsteemist ja sotsiaalsest kontekstist, mis toimib hällist hauani, et juurutada meisse nullsummaline vaade maailmale. Ressursid on piiratud, elu on lühike, hankige, mida saate – ja kui teil on veidi üle, kirjutage ehk oma lemmik heategevusorganisatsioonile tšekk.
Oma raamatute uurimisel lugesin iga päev sõna otseses mõttes kümneid iseloomustusi inimestelt, kes on avastanud väikseimagi suuremeelsuse teos väga suure rõõmutunde. Ja enamus otsustab selle mingil moel "edasi maksta". Nii et need teod ei ole kunagi üksi. Nad kajavad sissepoole ja korduvad väljapoole.
Nii et ostke see tass kohvi teie taga olevale inimesele. Sa tunned end suurepäraselt. Teil on teadus selja taga. Kuid te ei vaja seda kinnitust. Asi, mida te kõige rohkem märkate, on see, mis toimub sees.
Ja ärge eksige, majandus, nagu te teate, ei ole kunagi endine.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
SHARE YOUR REFLECTION
15 PAST RESPONSES
We are the change for a better world
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.