Unreasonable People

I am currently reading a book entitled The Power of Unreasonable People by John Elkington and Pamela Harrington. The subtitle is “How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change The World.” To introduce the book’s title subject and thesis, the authors quote George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Social Entrepreneurs do not accept the status quo and the traditional system. They are trying to bend Capitalism to also serve the fringes of our economy, where opportunities are scarce and the tradition is poverty. These are intelligent and often well-educated individuals, but rather than spend their ambition climbing a corporate ladder, they spend their ambition on trying to help people get on the ladder who normally wouldn’t. Better yet, they help people build their own ladder. By this last point, I mean enabling impoverished individuals to become entrepreneurs themselves in self-sustaining ventures that the global market will demand.

Social Entrepreneurs are trying to provide money in places where profits do not exist…yet. In my next post, I will share Elkington and Hartigan’s most exciting point: Social Entrepreneurs may be pointing to a very lucrative source of profits: the BOP.

Karmic Wealth

I am a fan of science over faith. I would rather believe in something that can be repeated, demonstrated, proved with logic, or known a priori. However, we are limited in our use of science. That is why meteorologists can employ vast resources of radar, satellites, computers, algorithms, historical data, and trained observers, and still be wrong about the weather. A meteorologist cannot identify every factor that influences the weather...yet. They are getting better all the time, but they still rely on statistics to determine how right they may be.

I make this point because I cannot prove Karma, but I believe in it. It would be difficult to isolate every variable that could demonstrate Karma's existence. I choose to believe in Karma because I think it is a beneficial model of regulating and justifying behaviors. For some, an ethical model is enough, others choose religion. I have chosen Karma.

Karma originates in eastern philosophy (mainly Buddhism, but other systems use it as well.) Karma can be found in the bible; for example, "You reap what you sow." Karma is a valuable tool that can be employed by atheists, agnostics, humanists, and non-theists. Essentially, I am arguing here that Karma is not related to religion and you can believe in the principle no matter where you stand. You can even call it by another name if you choose.

What is important is that you believe that when you do something that others perceive as good, then you will eventually receive an equal measure of goodwill back. If you do something that others perceive as bad, then you will receive an equal measure of something bad in return.

Again, this cannot be proved. I allow myself to believe that it may take 20 years for Karma to come around. I have no way of keeping score, but I like to believe that I have canceled out a lot of bad Karma from my past with some good Karma. Therefore, if I send out good Karma in the form of a $50 donation and do not receive $50 in return, I assume that it has either canceled out some bad Karma from the past or that I will receive it back in a non-monetary form.

Staying with the assumption of a $50 charitable donation, I am fine with that being returned through the hug of a child. Whatever force is controlling the Karma may decide to create an account of of charitable donations, add interest, and return it to me later in the form of a promotion or inheritance. It may be used to cancel out a time that I cost someone $20 and never repaid them. You get the idea here, somehow a running total is kept and a power greater than myself is making sure it is fair.

You can argue with me all day how unfair the system is, or that it is an unproven theory, or simply that it is hogwash. Even if you could mathematically prove that Karma does not exist, I would maintain the system of belief. For me, Karma is a matter of faith, and I want to believe in it.

We all enjoy or suffer from a symbiotic relationship. When I pay my mortgage, it provides money that the bank may use to loan to you, pay your salary, or pay you a dividend (depending on your relationship to the bank.) When I pay my taxes, it enables the government to protect you, pave your roads, and fund your schools. The opposite is true: if I do not pay my bills or my taxes, you will experience higher costs and less services. Your actions affect me in an approximately equal manner.

A symbiotic relationship is not limited to economics. My littering may affect you. Your poor driving may affect me. There may be several intermediaries: My rudeness on the phone causes someone to drive angry, who cuts off a third person and sends them into a ditch, and that causes the victim in the ditch to miss a meeting with you that could have saved your sales quota for the month. Paying it forward changes this scenario to show me being nice to you, causing a driver to yield in traffic, causing your client to arrive early and in a buying mood.

We are not islands unto ourselves, we are all connected. We pass on our germs, wealth, and ideas. My exhalation provides carbon dioxide to your trees, which provides oxygen and shade to your neighbor. This is the basis of Karma, so it is not a far-fetched idea.

All this is to argue that Social Entrepreneurship is about building up Karmic Wealth. Your day job is paying into your 401k and your home-equity. Your efforts as a Social Entrepreneur pay into your Karmic Wealth. When you are 65, you hope to have enough economic wealth to live a life of leisure. As a philanthropist, volunteer, and Social Entrepreneur, you hope to have enough Karmic Wealth to provide a sense of contentment in your leisure.

A person who has amassed Karmic Wealth may experience evil, violence, heartache, and destruction (though I cannot explain why bad things happen to good people.) My faith in Karma allows for such unspeakable horrors to occur, knowing that when the Karmic Wealth is cashed in, you will receive relief and comfort in equal measure.

The fact that bad things happen to good people is the hardest concept for people to grasp. We may be able to grasp Calculus and Super-string Theory Physics, and memorize the taxonomies of our profession, but we all have difficulty understanding why something bad would happen to us or someone we love. Karma is my insurance plan. I have accepted the fact that unspeakable horrors may occur in my life no matter how I live and no matter whom I pray to. My belief in the concept of Karmic Wealth allows me to take comfort in the notion that when something bad happens, I will be provided with a safety net of friends and strangers to comfort me, provide for needs that I cannot provide myself, and help me carry on with my life.

In business, Entrepreneurship is about amassing economic wealth and powerful friends. There is nothing wrong with that, except that assets can be stolen, devalued, taxed, or outlawed. Friends amassed on the basis of wealth will usually disappear when you can longer be measured in enough dollars. Karmic Wealth can only be destroyed by your choice, cannot be stolen, always appreciates in value, and attracts friends who stand by you through thick and thin.

I choose to believe in Karma, not because it can be proven but it is a preferable system of behavior. I volunteer my money, time, and blood because I believe that it builds up Karmic Wealth. I amass Karmic Wealth because I may desperately need it someday.

Please leave a comment, thought, or criticism below, or just leave a punctuation mark to let me know you stopped by. Thanks for reading me!

Who?

I am an MBA student. That is my primary qualification to be a Social Entrepreneur. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Management from Baker University (Cum Laude) and have 17 years of experience in team leadership, public service, and business management. Therefore, I am starting with a base of knowledge in managing people, organizing resources, and maintaining efficient processes.

Take away my degrees and titles, and you are left with some valuable skills. I like people, and people like me. I am a good writer and public speaker. I am able to teach and to persuade. I am able to use empathy when I listen, and empathy allows me to discover problems and solutions that less-sensitive people may miss.

I have made mistakes in life. I have made big and little mistakes, and I have used those events as learning opportunities. I have experienced the painful process of fixing mistakes, which requires admission and repentance. I have been humbled by mistakes, educated by mistakes, and lead to a new opportunities through mistakes. Making mistakes may disqualify one from some stations in life, but learning from mistakes is the only way attain the stations that matter to me.

I have the heart of a teacher. I root for the underdog, and I love a Cinderella story. I am not smart enough to realize that some things are unattainable; I am experienced at overcoming the perceptions of un-attainability.

I have desired and prayed for many things, and received only a few of them (thank God for that. Unanswered prayers may be the greatest gift God can give.) My only desire and prayer now is for the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I regularly donate blood (especially 2RBC via aspheresis) at the Community Blood Bank of Kansas City: http://www.savealifenow.org/

I love the idea of Microloans, and actively participate at Kiva: http://www.kiva.org/lender/larrys

I participate in WatchDog Dads at my child's school: http://www.fathers.com

As a Social Entrepreneur, I have a vision that is threefold:
1. Appreciate our public school teachers more.
2. Provide more in-class attention to students who are above or below average.
3. Effectively address parenting issues that affect in-class behavior and performance.

At this point, I am still working out the details of how I will address this vision, but basically I need to recruit both thinkers and doers. I need to attract donations to fund the projects. Finally, I need to collect a think-tank of experienced people to help develop and guide the vision. The third problem will need more creativity and wisdom, while the second will require money. I think the first vision will never be fully achieved because teachers in general are so valuable, generous, and effective.

Please click the comment link below to add an insight, criticism, or just a punctuation mark. I need to know you read me, and I will enthusiastically welcome all thoughts on the subject!

Why?

I think it is appropriate to start a blog by explaining why it exists. This reason may evolve over time, but it has to start somewhere and should head in a particular direction. My purpose is to discuss Social Entrepreneurship in totality. This blog start with a selfish goal, to develop myself as an expert on the subject. What is not selfish is the hope that anyone reading my blog will find valuable information as they achieve their own goals.

I am not a social entrepreneur, but I would like to be. To be more precise, I will be. I need to refine my vision into a practical and sustainable idea, gather supporters who are willing to work with me, and raise the funding required. I also have a lot to learn. In this blog, I will capture my efforts at learning and refining. I will point you to resources and research that I find to be useful. I will share my own thoughts and creations in the hopes that they help you.

A social entrepreneur (SE) is a leader who starts and leads a charitable cause. Once I have started some effort at charity, I can call myself an SE. This blog would then blossom into a discussion of how to keep the effort alive, exciting, and growing. Ultimately, an SE is one who has a vision for improving his or her world, sets a measurable goal, and collects resources to achieve that goal.

There are already many worthwhile charities that will enable you to employ your money, time and talents to achieve ends that you believe in. Therefore, one may ask why we need another SE coming in to rob other charities of resources. It seems like an egotistical effort more than anything else in that light. However, I take a different perspective. First, fresh ideas may give a needed boost to the solution. Second, some large charities (but not all) are inefficient and bureaucratic, and do not adapt well to changing conditions, nor do they employ new ideas as rapidly as a startup would. Third, a new face on the scene will attract additional donors of time and resources simply because it is new. Finally, the goal is to change a social condition, not to be "the biggest/best" charity out there; therefore, it is not always bad to move resources from one charity to another.

If you are reading this, please add a comment. Any comment at all. Even just a smiley/frowning face, or just a punctuation mark. It is always nice to know that the words were seen, and additional insights or criticism is welcome.