Hi reader,

In my studies of the Ubuntu philosophy, I found out that a form of altruism towards one’s community serves as a great milestone for sustainable development and keeping social relationships intact. Which I think are both important aspects to navigate through (post)modern challenges at the scale of today. Ubuntu freely translated means “I am, because we are”, saying that the full scope of ones personal being only exists cause of the existence of others and vice versa.

While it might be true that doing some form of true service does not have to guarantee anything in terms of income or retribution, it does increase the impact one can have one his or hers direct community and, by doing so, increases ones reputation or social capital over time by lack of better words. It might be a demeaning term to call the wealth of social networks ‘capital’, but since it is a widely used way to describe the importance of it anyway, I will use it too. Oftentimes through informal means, by increasing ones social capital, over time, this can lead to a bedrock of tied in (reciprocal) relationships, leading to possible financial ends as well.

A link to how financial wealth is created through, for example, social and relational wealth;

I don’t think accountants can save the world due to the etymological problem or ontological issue of objectification..? Please correct me if I’m wrong calling that one out like this. Some stuff is just too subjective to desire any rationalisation off. Over-rationalisation ain’t pretty. A forest, for one full of wonder and mystery, for others a safe heaven, a place to shelter from the storm and then for others a resource to build ships and conquer the world.. Whatever the forest can mean to one is just that, a meaning and nothing more. It is not more rational to see the forest as a resource then it is to see it is a place of mystery filled with myth, adventure and wonder. To see the forest as just another resource might be even more irrational then thinking dwarfs and gnomes live in it. The westernised fool, made dull and blind by its own devices, its own senses.

Not sharing ones abilities, talents and gifts just because there is no direct reward, existing job title or salary for it, therefore, shouldn’t be the main reason to withhold from sharing it. If it is, then it might be that the thing one is currently doing isn’t really standing up to the authentic self that represents all these unique abilities and talents among individuals.

Therefore, especially during challenging times, being more grounded in the ‘discovered self’ rather then the ‘constructed self’ can not only be of help for ones own holistic well-being, but also for that of others when it turns out we share mostly not because of a salary, but because of a desire to be true to oneself and others. A short discourse about the differences of the discovered and constructed self in my previous article; “https://keesbergsol.nl/the-discovered-versus-the-constructed-self/”

Hope it was a nice read,

Cheers,

Kees