Shift Your Weight

[zhai]

Over the last couple of months I've experienced a strange confluence of influences. Call it collective unconscious or determinism or blind stupid coincidence, some of it happens because of the things I surround myself with while trying to puzzle through the big game of life. For me this is indelibly entwined with writing (which, as I've said, for

Comments

[hildebabble]

This cheered me up, and I needed it this morning.

Sometimes capitalism is viewed as a dog-eat-dog arena where self-preservation justifies any means. But the CF has it right--prosperity is harvested in seizing the opportunity to aid others.

Kick me a copy of that book.

[zhai]

Glad to cheer you up. :)

Yeah, re capitalism. And I think previously because of the way capitalism was being practiced any compassionate person would have to oppose it or think that humanitarian efforts would always have to work against capitalism. But this is a way to actually use the strengths of it, use the liberation that it gives people to generate wealth individually to do so in a way that helps people. It really does feel like a new world can be on the horizon.

Audio or paper? And send me your address!

[zhai]

Whoops, should have checked email first! Got the address, just need book type. :)

Btw - yay!

[hildebabble]

"who got there first in awesomeness!"

Shucks. :)

Hopefully the microloan program will expand. People hear "charity" and automatically assume "that's money I ain't getting back," or "that's money I'm throwing to people to whom it won't make any difference." Hopefully the promise of repayment will make this appealing to a broader, more jaded range of people.

[maggiedr]

Thank you for this post. I will certainly purchase a copy of "Giving", but with my Border's discount, I can pass on your generous offer.

I've always been a huge fan of small business loans, having been a small business owner for over 20 years. I am also frustrated by the prison system, having watched it make progress in the seventies, and then decline in the 80s when it was deemed time to get tough on criminals. But then, I am a bleeding heart and knee-jerk liberal.

I think you've done some good here today.

[zhai]

Thanks for the comment. :)

I gave out my first microloan yesterday to this woman in Bosnia. I'm going to try to give one every month this year. It's amazing to look at something like this, full of real people wanting to expand their lives, and knowing you can help for so little effort. $25 isn't nothing but it is something I'll spend on things I don't need in a given month, so it's easy to allocate. ;)

[zhai]

PS, I would love to hear what you think of the book when you get a chance to pick it up!

[spaceoperadiva]

A good job is not a good job unless it is doing good in the world.

At the risk of sounding horribly spoiled and self-centered, I'm going to add that a good job is not a good job unless it's doing good in your personal world as well. I've been very frustrated lately by people who are so over-committed in their employment that they don't have time to eat decently, exercise, or sleep. We can't take care of the world if we are not taking care of ourselves.

[zhai]

Absolutely. I don't see that as spoiled or self-centered at all. It's simply pragmatic and farsighted. Don't get me started on the amount of research that exists on how overwork cripples efficiency -- it's a logical break that exists in people that work more = accomplish more. The missing factor is your peak performance, and if you're working under it, you're sabotaging yourself and whatever you're working on.

There are reasons to push yourself -- entrepreneurship, specific deadline -- but it is not sustainable on the long term and the motivation has to come from a very well thought-out place.

[jeffhowell]

Very nice post. Thanks for the mention. I'll definitely look into the Clinton book and the other charities you mention

[zhai]

Glad you liked the post, Jeff, and thanks for the expanded review of the book. I think transparency is one of the new things that is revolutionizing charity in the world. It's fantastic that the increased bandwidth of information transfer allows for this kind of transparency now.

Have you seen Charlie Wilson's War? It goes in pretty pointedly at the end about the correlation between the lack of rebuilding funds provided for schools in Afghanistan after the Cold War and the events that led to 9/11. Fantastic movie.

[sunraven]

Thanks for the info on Kiva.org! Looks like a great way to help out, and I love that you can see exactly where the money is going and how it's helping. I loaned money to a group of ladies in Uganda who sell foodstuffs in a local marketplace.

[zhai]

Yay, you are my first invitee! I like that I can see your profile and loans so easily from my profile.

I think it would be very cool to have a network of friends to go around on the site with and fully support some of the businesses...

[sunraven]

Hey cool, it shows me a link back to you as well.

I like the network idea!