Sharing, or collaboration, is a matter of shared spirit, not merely shared material goods. And to learn how to share, we first need to reflect on the spirit of giving. Why do we share? Why do we give? Very often when we give we do not receive anything in return now, or perhaps ever. The most obvious example of this is parenting. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to have a kid, both time and money and love. Loving is very rarely free. We need children in the world, both because we always need to be reminded of the need to give, and because so many of our collaborative projects are like little children. We pour time and love into them because we believe that, like children, they will grow up in the right time, becoming something beautiful that makes a positive impact in the world. Consequently, we share our energy because we believe that life is made up of more than material objects. It is made up by the positive energy that we put into it. And economies built around positive energy are, unsurprisingly, more positive than those built around building more objects for the sake of having more objects. The positive energy we bring to things is what makes us happy and fulfilled, it is like music that plays in the background of our hearts. The "material economy," which assaults us with large amounts of numbers, often makes us think that those numbers are what is most important.
But in gaining the ability to create spreadsheets, do we lose the ability to feel?
I am often reminded here of life in the countryside in Italy, where I try to spend as much time as possible walking among the open fields. They are brimming with fresh crops, the festivals of the farmers, and the joy of a life well lived and fully enjoyed. Here, in the midst of the Umbrian countryside, we have have joy because we have not lost the primary value of human kindness. The joy of the festivals and families is the celebration of life. I am immensely indebted to my neighbors because they share love with me. This love often comes in the form of food, either the fresh zucchini I will gather today, the marmalade from the fruits of the field that I enjoyed with a piece of fresh baked bread this morning, or the feast that we will enjoy together as the crops are gathered. All requires time and effort to produce, but it is given freely. Because it is given freely, the heart is moved to respond with the same. There is no contract for a pound of flesh. If I am indebted, it is only because I know that what I receive is so much greater than what I give. I have only a single fig tree and the figs are not yet ripe. Yet the spirit of kindness makes me hope to have more in order to give more. To return the love I have received out of love, instead of out of obligation. Another example beyond agriculture comes from the world of professional investors. Mark Suster, who recently presented on dynamics in the collaborative economy at the tech conference LeWeb, talks of the absolute necessity of giving before you receive. He says:
I would challenge entrepreneurs to find someone today to ask, “What can I do to help you?” You may not be able to help that person right now, but in one week, three weeks, or a month you may be able to fill that void and help solve their problem. In my startup career and in my life I’ve found that when I pull myself out of my situation to help solve someone else solve theirs, magically my problems become a lot less daunting. -Techcrunch
For Mark, and for many other investors, it is the ability to first share that makes one a powerful leader, the sort of person you want to be around even in difficult times. It pulls a company together around a positive purpose. Another fascinating example of this comes from the Pirate Party. In his new book, Swarmwise, Rick Falkvige, founder and figurehead of the party, discusses the incredible importance of leading by giving. Why? Leadership is as much about who you are as what you do. Your psychology transfers to the organization. For a rapidly-growing self-organizing movement of likeminded individuals, a sharing mentality allows the organization to build trust. There might be an irony that Italian farmers, American venture capitalists, and Nordic pirates all testify to the power of sharing.
Trust and love, the bonds that build community, are important for both large and small organizations across the globe.
One of the most amazing modern possibilities is that we can use social networks to bring those bonds to a larger audience. This allows community to grow along with personal engagement, creating a brighter future full of sharing for everyone. image credit: tpsdave | Pixabay