The Unexpected

What is radical? What do we expect? What is unexpected? Why are the results, the outcomes, different from what we expected?

For example, capitalism suggests that people with assets should invest in activities that will generate income to repay the investment on the one hand and produce a service or product outcome that benefits the customer. Philanthropically, if the outcome benefits mankind, so much the better. Expecting people to invest for financial return is normal. Expecting that same investor to take on enormous risks to benefit all of mankind with little payback or none for himself, is unexpected.

In my book, the latter example appears radical to me.

Now, I know that we think of radical as an idea or movement to benefit a cause near and dear the hearts of many people. Those people want the outcome to reduce a large problem experienced by many or will be experienced by many people if nothing is done. They want solutions. The size of the beneficiary pool of people is not relevant. But their idea is that others should be committed to working to solve the problem or donating funds and other resources to make that possible. That’s radical. What is more radical is to force others to address the problem even when it does not personally affect them.

Many political issues are radical, especially enforced solutions. But isn’t it as radical to expect an investor to invest large resources to fix something that really won’t return to him a benefit equal to his investment?

There are people in our country and the world at large, who truly believe they and we should do all we can to fix problems from which humanity suffers. We need to do this because it is the right thing to do. Not to do this creates a negative definition of who we really are.

Philanthropists believe it is the people with resources to help fix social problems. Why? Because the fix is needed by so many, and they have the means to do something about it. A lot of people give naturally to charities and causes. They do this because they see the world as their home. If the home is faulty, we all have a responsibility to repair it.

Many people do not agree with this. They remain focused on their own needs and stubbornly refuse to see the problems of others as their concern. I can’t make them see it differently although I can try. In the end, they will do or not do what they will.

However, a more radical idea it seems to me is that others will invest valuable resources of their own to fix a problem that has little or nothing to do with them. Healthcare accessibility means little to the person who has more than adequate access for his own healthcare. Homelessness is of little concern to the person who has plentiful housing options for himself and his family. There may be instances where it seems attractive to help others in need, but there is no requirement that such be the case.

Our value systems, however, our religious beliefs and lifelong philosophies, often hold us to the standard of caring for others. It is hard to live a life of caring, but many people do it. Many others do it to an extreme. But so many say they do something in this vein but truly do nothing at all.

I think it is radical that someone takes this responsibility seriously. Especially true when little or nothing accrues to the donor.

Bill Gates is such a person. He has enormous wealth. It came to him quickly and in huge numbers. He has given away tens of billions of dollars, so he is not the richest person alive. Yet he remains the fifth wealthiest person on the planet in spite of his donations.

On top of that, Bill Gates invests billions into reducing carbon dioxide poisoning of the planet. He has worked hard to improve healthcare access to poor nations. He continues to advance sanitation standards in many areas of the world. He invests in lower cost energy for a billion people or two.

All of these things improve the quality of life of many billions of people. He is looking for solutions to common problems that have been so huge solutions have escaped our creation. He wants this for the benefit of the global community. Why? Oh, there are many reasons I can assume, but I cannot answer for Bill Gates.

Certainly, one of the benefits to the world community is a more peaceful planet. Power mongering is less possible if most people have what they need to live good lives of peace, tranquility and purpose. How neat is this? What a radical idea it is that we should think this way and take action to make it happen.

That is dedication or love of others that transforms social orders.  Yes, I think this counts as radical. One of the good kinds.

September 30, 2024

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more