January 29, 2009

Just Maybe: Good may come from this

All of the economic malaise -- nice way to put a recession/depression -- and all of the sordid stuff that accompanies bad times might lead to better stuff. That's what I am hoping. You might have noted that DoSomething.org is the talk of Davos this year, along with PhilanthroCapitalism. People are trying to figure out how to use the crisis in capitalism along with the needs of philanthropy. Excellent idea.

Perhaps people will go beyond their own personal reach and really work to establish a better community. We have not seen that kind of thinking on a wide scale in decades. People liked Obama's message during the campaign. They loved the messages of hope and change. Regardless of country,we now turn to neighbourhoods and cities and we start figuring out how many things need doing.

Challenges have come along before, and people have often united to make things better. We are coming out of a vacuous period in which people saw their own personal wealth rocket, only to watch the same wealth evaporate. Time to shift gears, and build something real. Help the community. Eradicate poverty. We talk about this great country of ours -- let's all make it as great as it can be. And then, just maybe, we will really be wealthy!