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Do We Have as Much Sense as a Goose? I came across an anonymous article from the ‘Enlightened Thinker’s Quote Book’ It is very timely. It is about spring and the geese heading north for the summer and why they fly in formation. Scientists have found that by flying in a ‘v’ the flock add 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other just like geese do for our greater good. In the United States we have been questioning the traditional model of helping those who are out of the ‘v’ formation, due to disabilities, lack of education, past discrimination and chance of birth. What can we do to get those people ‘in formation’ or back into the ‘v’? I am speaking about the charity, philanthropy, or giving model that has been the accepted model for the 20th Century. Traditionally we give to the less fortunate, goods that we no longer want or need, our old bridesmaids dresses and water chestnuts. This sort of giving may make us feel good but do we think about the affect it has on the receiver? I don’t mean those who need immediate food and health care. I do mean individuals and organizations and churches that give in a way that supports perpetual dependency. As we Americans reevaluate the welfare system, and the economic disaster that our border policies have become, can we look at models of giving that support self-sufficiency in the United States and in our area, the border region? I know a Hispanic man who through years of trial and error in how to really help those across the border, who have been repatriated by the border patrol, has come up with a model to help the migrants by rewarding the entrepreneurs with donated goods that become working capitol in their neighborhoods, instead of mere charity. Many well meaning Americans give to those poor communities without realizing how it creates dependency and destroys the businesses of the entrepreneurs there. If Betty has a shoe store partially stocked with donated goods, half of which she gives back to a community fund and half of which is hers to invest in new shoes, she will go out of business when Mr. and Mrs. 'Well Meaning American' come into the community and give out $200.00 worth of free shoes. When those free shoes wear out, Betty will be out of business because she had no customers for a year. Now they all must rely on hand outs again! Giving make us feel good, it could make us feel better if our giving contributed to self-sufficiency. What if all of our neighbors were self-sufficient? We would no long focus on giving material things but gifts of love to one another. We can all fly in ‘v’ formation if our giving is intelligent as well as enlightened. Yeye Siju Osunyemi |
