We were warned at the foundation of this country that an intrusive government was to be avoided at all cost. But we’ve let the writings of our forefathers fade into irrelevance with society supporting a rapidly growing government increasing confiscatory tax policies every year. We’ve known even longer that charity begins at home. But, what we’ve forgotten as a nation is that it is not the place of an intellectual or a body politic to dictate what measure and to what cause our charity will manifest itself.

The challenge will ever be one segment of society trying to dictate just how compassionate the haves ought to be towards the have nots. All the while the answer lies in education and how pitifully little the entitlement mindset thirsts for it. Thanks to you and Jon for bringing some fresh discourse to the day.

Yet I sense more than a little insecurity in all these protestations of how much good business does. Remember that painting a picture of business as “all good” is just as much of a lie as painting it as all bad.

Also remember that business has been responsible for enslaving children, breaking heads as it broke unions, and that, historically, businesses have polluted and chose profits and self-interest over the common good.

While I applaud the idea of the compassionate entrepreneur and am, myself, dedicated to being one, that is not the history of capitalism nor its current identity. Business has earned its villification.

Check out these facts and then change the model by good works, by all means. But me thinks thou protesteth just a bit too much.

http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.htm

P.S. Can you say that the business of making landmines benefits humanity and is a positive for society?

While I see no “sin” in making money, note that every 3.6 seconds someone dies of starvation.

One in eight children under twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry.

Will your becoming an Internet millionaire put an end to it?

And here’s another fact, just for the heck of it:

The amount of money we spend collectively on perfume in the U.S. and the European Union is enough to solve the sanitation problems of the world AND end starvation.

The “trickle down” economy doesn’t work, else these stats would be history, not current reality.

So, fine – let’s make our fortunes. But business is not a Messiah that has solved the worlds problems. It could, but it hasn’t.

The laws under which corporations operate actually make it a breach of fiscal duty to fail to take action that maximizes shareholder profits, even if it means shipping jobs overseas and throwing families into poverty as a result.

So I agree, we do need a new business model that incorporates compassion.

Another nice post showing a different view on things. I see my way of “giving back” by providing a LOT of quality free content through my Internet Marketing Blog. OR even through products that are totally free like my latest one.

Thanks
Ray Johnson

South Africa is BANNED from VEOH as are 165 other countries and they have been accused of racism in the extreme. I’ll be back in the UK next month so will schedule to watch the video at that time.

As a professional I know you will be dismayed to discover you are associated with such a negative organisation, let alone the limit it places on your scope.

Anyone else finding themselves blocked may take comfort in this rebuttal (fake) interview with the founder:-

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5qjbx_veoh-excludes-85-of-the-world_news

I think that a good example of the common assumption that productive businessman are immoral is the use of the phrase “giving back” to describe charitable giving by people who have made money.

As Jon has aptly pointed out, a person who has created wealth has already been more moral and has contributed more to society than any amount of charitable giving could ever accomplish.

The phrase “giving back” assumes the premise that, by being productive, an entrepreneur has taken something from society, and now has the burden/obligation to give something back.

I urge everyone here who respects entrepreneurship and productivity, and who, like Jon, wishes to encourage the best in humanity, to never use that phrase, and to correct others every time we hear it being used.

If you admire people who produce the wealth that brings us such a wonderful world to live in, please insist that no one use the degrading phrase “giving back” to describe a successful person who is contributing to a charitable cause.

Instead, perhaps “giving forward” would be a more accurate description. I personally love giving to causes that are meaningful to me. For example, speaking of Ayn Rand, every year for the past 6 years, I have given several thousands of dollars of free classroom sets of Ayn Rand’s books to high school teachers who request them through this charity: http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=support_free_books.

I am proud of being able to contribute to a cause I believe in, and I hope that it improves the future of the world. However I cringe whenever someone mentions “giving back,” as it makes me feel like they’ve just personally insulted me and my value as an entrepreneur.

Yanik, I challenge you to be on the forefront of this movement by having the “giving back” portion of our Maverick events renamed “giving forward,” or some other term that is respectful of the moral accomplishment we have made by producing the wealth we have created.

As Jon ably points out, the stakes are high, and we must not concede in any way the common, but wrong, premise that we are acting immorally when we produce wealth. We must show the world, and especially the future entrepreneurs we aim to inspire, that we value productive activity of ourselves and others, and we consider it to be a *moral* virtue, and definitely not a vice.

* Wow! Interesting point. Well taken. I like that term ‘Giving Forward”. I will definitely consider using that for Maverick. Thanks for the additional insight. * – Y.S.

It’s time that we acknowledged ourselves for what we are really up to in life. I’m glad that someone finally gave voice to this marriage of business and spirit that we enjoy, but most of us don’t have words to express.

Thank you Yanik, and thank you Jon!

Much Love,

Josh Dunn