There are 10,000 NGO’s, not-for-profits, well-intentioned organizations and charities addressing the myriad ills this world has succumbed to. I believe that most are addressing symptoms, and that this issue is the root cause for most of them. Sadly, this issue is a complex one–an issue that many people just don’t have the patience or even outlet to understand–let alone the means to feel like they can change it. Designed For Life can play a part in changing it. So can you. Please watch this episode of my daily blog to understand:
ARE YOU A MAKER OR A TAKER? — (buy the book)
Don’t be misled–this is not the question mishandled by Republican politicians in 2012. This is an entirely different application of the phrase. Put simply: At least 96% of working Americans are MAKERS. The other 4% work in the finance industry that, having been left largely unchecked–worse, regulated only by themselves–has run amok and ruined most of our productive economic constructs. Now to be fair only a fraction of this industry creates 90% of these negative effects, as most of those involved in finance are makers themselves–providing access to capital in various ways to other maker businesses and individuals. But that tiny fraction of a fraction is causing 3 things: slow growth, vast inequality, and unstable world markets.
We live in a boom and bust world, that is not currently Designed For Life–the problem is that by far, most of the “boom” money is made only by this tiny fraction of people who then reinvest that money back into the finance economy–never impacting most of the inhabitants on earth. This creates outsize wealth–more than anyone could possibly expend in a lifetime–more than anyone “needs.” And I believe it is because for all of the rules and regulations to prevent this–it is always left just open enough for those with the largest amounts of money and power to slip through. The rest of us pay the price, and often barely get along.
Our Designed For Life philosophy can only flourish if the decision-makers within an organization are benevolent, well-meaning, and allowed to make moral, ethical, and long-term-focused decisions. Herein lies its weakness. The designed-for-life approach, however, is absolutely a capitalistic approach, as the products that make it through its filter are simply more competitive than those created without. Will you have the strength of character to either build designed-for-life business? Or can you at least stand on principle or simple mathematics make the fiscally wise and far-looking decision to buy designed-for-life products?
ARE YOU A MAKER? OR A TAKER?
Watch the vlog, and let me know what you think, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW!
Thank you,
— Shawn