2009: The Year For Giving
by Peter
Schwartzman
What a year
2008 was. Olympics in China. Uncontrolled fires and youth uprisings in Greece. Major
earthquake in China. Economic downturn. Gigantic government bailouts for banks
and other large corporations. First person of color elected U.S. President. And
of personal, and certainly trivial, interest, Nigel Richards, from New Zealand,
wins both the U.S. and World
Scrabble Championships.
Yet, in all
this commotion, how many of us gave back to society? Certainly there are many
people who are extremely giving with their time and money over the past year.
However, at the same time, the prevalence of consumerism and individualism in
our society is well-entrenched. Giving and taking seems to be out of balance
for many, with too much of the latter and too little of the former. Such
imbalance is very destructive to earth’s life systems and many millions of
humans are also suffering as a result. We need to shift this imbalance. The
pendulum definitely needs to swing to the other side.
What type
of year will 2009 be? In the spirit of the New Year, let me advocate that it
should be the Year for Giving. Serious economic challenges face most of us in
the immediate and near-distant future. While many face hardships directly via
the loss of a job or financial investments, others suffer from the general
malaise that permeates a culture enduring these difficult times. And it is at
times like these that many feel that giving isn’t possible. Yet this seemingly
logical conclusion stems from two very powerful assumptions found in our
society. Once we reveal the limitedness of these assumptions, we can openly
welcome the wealth of opportunities that exist for all of us to give. It is also
important that we focus on giving now because the benefits are many and the
time couldn’t be better.
We too
often work from the position that giving involves (or requires) money. Many of
us support organizations and causes we believe in. Yet we do so largely, if not
exclusively, with our pocketbooks. It feels good to send money to a group that
actively works on an issue/problem that we care about. Sending checks to
distant addresses (often located in New York and Washington, D.C.) has become a
common way to give. A considerable number of local chapters of national
organizations also garner our monetary support. But, during times when so many
of us are strapped for cash, we need to find other ways to give. (It goes
without saying that many organizations are in greater need now than ever before,
so if you can give financial support, please do.)
Developing
local systems of monetary exchange is another way to give. When one buys things
from a national or multinational company, the money spent is usually sent out
of the community. On the other hand, when you pay a neighbor to mow your lawn,
weed your garden, or babysit your children, the money spent is more likely to
stay in the community and support its fabric and local institutions. This is
especially true if other locally-owned businesses and companies also become the
recipients of these dollars. Fundamentally, this process of exchanging things
with other local people has the potential to provide positive feedbacks and
build mutually-beneficial and sustainable economies as well.
Giving
money to others isn’t bad but it is only one way to give. Fortunately there
exist numerous other ways to do so. And during a time when money is short, we
can benefit mightily by exploring other ways. There are obviously a huge number
of local charities and organizations that could use more support. People can
volunteer their time or donate materials to such organizations and one can also
introduce others to them as well. “Reading buddies,” who are adults that come
into the schools to read with children, is but one example of the positive ways
local people are giving. Connecting with local groups is a great way to build
and strengthen a community as well.
Giving can
also take the form of political action. We often hear that we live in “the best
democracy in the world.” Yet, how many of us participate actively in the
political process? The more voices contributing to the decision-making process
the more likely that locally-sound and inclusive (as opposed to exclusive)
decisions will be realized. Participating in the political process can take the
form of writing letters to political leaders, attending and speaking up at PTO,
school board and/or city council meetings, serving as members (or leaders) in
organizations, and/or partaking in acts of civil disobedience or protest.
One can give
as well by improving biodiversity as well. Beautifying yards with flowering
plants, prairie grasses, and trees (preferably native ones) can greatly
increase the variety of organisms that we find locally. By modifying treelawns
(the strips of grass that separate the sidewalks from the streets) we could
greatly enhance places for birds, bees and butterflies to flourish; some
ordinances restrict use of treelawns for this type of thing, so check local
laws and work to change them if they are too restrictive. Recent declines in
honey bees and dwindling habitats for almost all other animals makes these
changes more urgent than in the past. Growing edible plants in one’s yard
hasn’t been so valuable (economically) in awhile and if done organically, one
can benefit from the healthy quality of both the food and yard. And compared to
lawns, gardens are very diverse and ecologically advantageous as well.
The
second destructive assumption that we live by concerns our overemphasis on
individualism. Way too often we focus on ourselves and turn a blind eye on
those around us (humans as well as non-humans). We act as if unemployment
doesn’t matter as long as we keep our jobs, toxic pollution in our cities is
acceptable as long as we are upwind of it, and the elevated STD levels among
the local youth is unremarkable as long as we don’t have children. In reality
all of these things affect us. Since more unemployed people result in lower tax
revenue, toxins never just flow in one direction, and STDs increase federal
funding needs preventable illness, we are all
influenced by these negative aspects of our communities. As such, it behooves
us to care what is happening to others as well. And it is this recognition that
others matter that makes giving so much more desirable and meaningful.
The
statement, “It takes a community to raise a child,” is one of the most succinct
expressions embodying the mutual connectivity between all humans. If we truly
believe its sentiment then we need to act on it in more intentional ways than
we currently do. Coming to terms that we are all part of a larger system where
harm to a few hurts us all isn’t easy. And, it isn’t something accomplished overnight.
However, if we don’t have goals for change then we probably aren’t going to
move as quickly and purposefully as we need to. Thus, let 2009 be the year that
we all try harder to give more and take less so that we can move in the direction
of a healthier, better-connected, more caring community. Perhaps a year from
now, we can all share, as letters, our efforts to adhere to this challenging New
Year Resolution.
Peter
Schwartzman (email: wordnerdauthor@gmail.com) is associate professor and chair
of the Department of Environmental Studies at Knox College. Father to two
amazing girls, Peter hopes that their lives will be lived on a less-toxic, more
just, more loving planet. A nationally-ranked Scrabble® junkie, he is also the founder and maintainer of
websites dedicated to peace and environmental well-being (www.onehuman.org
& www.blackthornhill.org) as well as cofounder of The Center
(thecenteringalesburg.org).
1/1/09