Getting Some Good done for Society

My thought today is that there are two ways to get some good done for society: We can either let the greed and egos of the business sector get us into such a terrible fix that we then need the governments around the world to bail out both the businesses and the rest of us, or we can bring our nonprofit organizations to the public policy table and let that set of values, history and expertise have a prominent role in setting the national political agenda.

Obviously the political parties aren't capable of doing society good unless they face a dire emergency. Here we are, having let the greed and speed of the financial community get the entire world into an economic depression, just so we can get some road and bridge construction, and some attention and serious money put behind the emphasis on a "green" environment and on our contry's education system. What's wrong with these values? Do we have to let ourselves come this close to total economic disaster in order to get some good done in society?

In other words, the banks and brokers, the short-sellers, the insurance companies and the runners of hedge funds are now responsible for getting us highway repairs, returning our focus on education and to such matters as the global warming effect? Well, thank you very much... I think.

All that greed and ego brought on a worldwide depression, and so now governments around the world are massing billions and trillions of dollars to get us back where we belong -- to a stable and preferably democratic economy. Is this the only set of solutions we can create? Is this the only way we can force political attention and focus financial resources on our basic infrastructure, our education and other values the help society and move it forward? Is it impossible for us, as Americans, or as world citizens, to do this voluntarily? What's wrong with this values picture?

Shame on us, as human beings! for letting greed and our warlike nature get us so far from caring for and maintaining the society in which we live, and from putting into place and maintaining the systems and the knowledge that we so urgently need and use daily. Surely there must be a better way?

Well, I'm here to say that there is a better way. In fact, there's a whole sector out here that the politicians and business tycoons are deliberatly and consistently ignoring. They call us the "nonprofit" sector, because they don't know how to think about us; they can't imagine that people would actually benefit by giving away the commodities of time and money just in order to do society some good. It's apparently beyond their imagination!

But, here we are. The Voluntary Sector. The Commons. We represent all that we have and hold together as members of the human community. In the U.S. alone, we have more than two hundred years worth of experience bringing a whole variety of good things to our society. We represent about 12% of the nation's GDP and employ about 12 million people in our charities. Around the world, the voluntary sector is growing as well. People in all countries, under a whole variety of political conditions, find it efficacious and rewarding to give themselves to others in ways that positively impact society.

And you know what we get out of it? We get internal satisfaction, meaning for our lives, the thanks and approbation of our peers, and a sense of real and significant achievement. These are the rewards of the voluntary sector. These are the rewards that build human beings in the best possible ways. It's not how much "stuff" you have or how much of the world's resources you amass for youself as protection against having to be in the "great antheap" of humanity and suffer what we all suffer. IT's doing things for other people. Because when we do that, we, too, are benefitted. All that profit doesn't mean a thing; when it all comes right down to it satisfaction is obtained by giving one's self away to others. That's how human beings are hard-wired. If you don't believe that, thsn look at the discoveries that are being made regularly these days in neuroscience and biochemistry. We're learning academically what the sages of old have told us for thousands of years: it's not how much gold you have, but how much you give away that brings satisfaction and contentment.

So what is this that we of the voluntary sector can't be invited to sit at the public policy table with the politicos and the entrenched money interests and try to help focus away from greed and ego and get on with life that brings benefits rather than recession to our people? It doesn't make any sense that business lobbyists get their way with congress while our representatives systematically exclude the voluntary sector from participation in setting the nation's policy agenda. Neither does it make sense that we should sideline the processes that make society better in favor of making a few individuals wealthy beyond all imagination. What kind of goal for society is that? Our values as a society are really screwed up if that's all the better we can do.

For a start, why don't we think about the fact that there are some things that don't belong to just whoever happens to have the capital to bring them to market. There are some parts of our society that belong to all of us. They should be treated differently than gadgets and widgets because we all have a stake in them, we all need them for survival in the twenty-first century. These constitute The Commons -- that which we all hold together. Business, and the markets, should not be the ones that determine how The Commons is run. There should be no profit in it at all. Elements of The Commons should not be run and governed by the profit motive. That which we all hold in common should be run by our "nonprofits" or the voluntary sector in partnership with government.

What are we talking about? Our air, our water, public transportation (rail, auto and air travel), food, shelter, education, health care. These are needed by every one of us for llfe, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They should not be treated as commodities, but should be made available to all. Business interests should not be allowed to foul the air and water, or ration our knowledge and education system, or our system of health care, on the basis of who can pay the most. Business, especially the insurance companies, should be driven from the health care system completely. Housing and food should not be run by the markets without significant regularion, strenuous oversight and public ownership.

In their place, the voluntary sector should be employed to provide these elements of The Commons to everyone in the society, under conditions that do not make anybody in the society poor or wealthy. It is the independent sector that has the history, the set of values, the experience to deal with The Commons. We need to find a way to de-couple government and business, and then bring forth a new partnership between government and the voluntary sector.

Look at the similarity in values. The values that are incumbent on government and those of the voluntary sector are so much more aligned than the values of government and those of business, markets or profit. If we created a firm and stable partnership between the independent sector and government, we might actually develop a society that is kind to its citizens, provides a safe, secure, stable environment in which to bring up our families, raise and educate our children and find meaningful life's work. There are ways to do this, and we need to get out of old, outmoded ways of thinking, put business in its proper place so society can prosper.

More in the next post on how we can do this.