human venture

This is the Chinese word for crisis - weiji.  Many new-agers believe that it is made up of two characters - danger and opportunity.  In reading an essay entitled, "Danger + Opportunity≠ Crisis" by Victor H. Mair, professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania, with contributions from Denis Mair and Zhang Liqing, I learned that this is not the case.  According to Dr. Mair, the second character means incipient moment or crucial point.  As I interperate it further - it is a time in space for change to occur.

We are facing this time of Ji.  A time where as society, we have choices we can make that will further entrench us in our crisis - social, environmental, financial, etc. or choices that can elevate us out of these situations thereby "saving our neck."  It is in the latter that I see the opportunity of the Ji.

A friend of mine - Chris Hsiung, has created his business helping individuals reshape their businesses and themselves by looking at the crisis points of the human venture and shifting the thought process.  In a recent posting on his blog, Chris points out as humans we can justify anything even if it contradicts who we are as an individual. 

When we are looking at crisis management, whether it is addressing funding issues as a result of Madoff or a national stimulus package as reiterated by Obama in his speech to Congress last night, we can either choose to keep ourselves in the boxes that we have self-defined.  Or we can choose to take this JI and flip it over, turn it inside and come up with a new paradigm.

What is this new paradigm?

We can no longer depend on the traditional models that ran society, because in front of our eyes, those models are falling apart.  The people and institutions that we held as pillars are crumbling.  Many people are talking and writing about the social shifts.  The impact that Twitter is having through its Twestivals.  Or the business models that are being tested by social entrepreneurs.  Or, the new ways that people are seeking out venture capital. 

So, unlike what Victor Mair states that ji is not opportunity.  I believe that the space that surrounds ji is definitely one for opportunity.  It just depends on how we chose to use it.

I was just rereading a blog that I started a year ago when I drove across Canada.  The blog is entitled What Do We Have in Common? I wanted to re-read what I wrote because I thought there might be some elements of my journey that can be applied to the work that I am doing as a philanthropic advisor.

Photo taken outside Espanola, ON - July 2007

It seems to me, whether we are giving $1Million or $10 to charity we are modeling a certain behaviour.  Depending on how we choose to make that contribution we can engage lots of people or no-one in the action.  What I did learn from my journey was that the pursuit of happiness is at the core of Canadian kind.  That happiness is reflected in our children.  We know that we are successful by how our children turn out and that success is something that we model for them.  So, if we want our children to be charitable we have to model the actions and the processes that lead to philanthropic behaviours.

There's a quote by Carl Sagan that I have posted previously about what society would look like if we started teaching our children how to think and act like mensches (closest word I could think of was upstanding citizens) instead of bombarding them with messages on death, destruction, self-criticism and fear of the other. 

How are each of us modeling charitable behaviour, and I don't mean just giving a cheque to an agency?  Do we pass the beggar on the street without so much as an acknowledgment or do we take the time to at least smile in their direction (if we don't drop coins in the cup... a rule that I hold for my own charitable giving)?  What kind of conversation do we have with our friends and family around these issues?  Do we have those conversations?

I was out with sister Kim, and some friends last night and one woman, Andrea Silverstone the ED of Peer Support Services for Abused Women, said that she always makes sure she has change in her pocket to give to the guys who are outside her office on a daily basis.  I asked why since that was enabling a certain type of behaviour.  For her, charity isn't so much about making sure that the Drop-In Centre is functioning (though she does give to organizations like that).  Philanthropy for Andrea includes modeling behaviour for her son.  So, in addition to giving the coins to the beggar, she stops to ask how they are if there is something else she can do, she even (on occasion) acts as a referral agent for some of the shelters in the area.  When her son sees this behaviour he too will know that there is more to charity than putting coins in a cup and that he can positively influence how society will be simply by following his mother's behaviour.

Society is built upon people and their ideas.  If we all keep acting on the "ego" in us then we will be missing out on how, as a collective, we can shift the consciousness of society and bring about amazing change.

Okay - that's enough esoteric thinking for the day.  Down to practical stuff - helping people give their money away strategically!  Have a great day and thanks for reading!!!