the good persons experiment
100 years ago there were good people who cared about the rights of all people. Rights for those of colour, rights for women, rights to land (only to scratch the surface). 100 years later we are making strides in equality, but are now faced with a new set of judgments from our neighbour.
Now we define each other by dollars, titles and materials. We concern ourselves with hours worked instead of the value we add to our global communities. We masquerade materialism as self-expression. Even our relationships have been reduced to transactions.
100 years ago W. E. B. DuBois once said of racism in America,
“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.”
Somehow I think these words will always apply to us in more ways than one. For now, I’m suggesting we focus on the positive things are happening. Social networks are helping us share. Microlending is helping us lead by example. Open Sourcing is allowing us to define our careers as oppose to being defined by them. As we continue to advocate for disclosure in our governments, our businesses, and ourselves, we can only hope that disclosure will shine a light on the good intentions that characterize us as people.
If any of this is of interest to you, I would encourage you to visit The Good Persons Experiment group on Facebook.
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Someone who talks a lot, listens a lot, sings on the streets and loves big ideas. If you need a discipline or two for piece of mind, try Marketer and Entrepreneur. If you need a title to legitimize why you'd waste your time here, I can't help you. I work with people on fire for the things they love.
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