Are business owners responding to the call to form new relationships with those around them, and not motivated by the selfish question of “What am I going to get out of this?” Entrance: A Fine Catch
Trained to be an entrepreneur and a survivor of the fittest, I graduated from university equipped with a one dimensional mindset and motivated by the pursuit of personal gain. Soon, however, I realized that college life was in some ways insufficient – something was missing. A great man made me rethink a lot of things, “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me…” said the late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple. “Give a man a fish – and you have fed him for today. Teach a man how to fish – and you have fed him for a lifetime,” is a popular quote, often used to understand the concept of CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility. But it’s not revolutionary at all. CSR is already being practiced by a number of large and medium-sized enterprises but it has always been considered a “surplus,” or a kind of a duty when a company feels it has earned more than enough, and even more, so as to save face, or to assume as an added responsibility (a burden for others) – but it’s never a priority, never the reason to work harder and most of all, never the reason to innovate.
And this is where the concept of the Economy of Communion (EoC) makes its subtle entrance – “Teach a man how to fish AND how to share it with others, and we will change the world TOGETHER” – adding a third dimension to the philosophical value of a fish – you help a man help others and himself, and therefore create a whole new paradigm.
Offertory: Breaking the “un” in uncertainty
“Nothing has more value than an act of gratuitousness,” Bruni emphasized. He pointed out that “the main challenge of the EoC – both on the theoretical and practical levels – is to show that it is possible, here and now, to build businesses and communities oriented towards authentic relationships, where reciprocity has the right to exist, even within the economic domain.” Over time, businesses have always been too focused on either making money (business activity is only a path to that), or how not to lose more money, where people were only a “dash of salt” in the economic mix. On the contrary, what the EoC underlines is that they are the primary ingredient (they are the business activity) in economic endeavours where “love finds space for personalized, others-oriented, gratuitous actions, even in situations that are usually considered instrumental, anonymous, and self-serving.” As Chiara Lubich sees it, “Unlike the consumer economy, which is based on a culture of acquisition, the EoC is an economy of giving.” Listening to him, I eventually found myself challenged, moved and captivated. A part of the lecture of Bruni in UST was a “talk show”-like approach of shared experiences of people who were living according to the principles of the EoC, experiences which I found engaging and highly amusing.
There in that hall, the seed concept of EoC, first intuited by Chiara Lubich, found the right terrain in the hearts of the audience. It was amusing to observe other kinds of reactions from people in the audience, clearly bewildered as they exclaimed, “this is utopia – paradise! It’s impossible!” while they fidgeted in their seats. Far removed from what people consider as realistic, love has long been considered “a word foreign to economic reasoning” and Gospel values were never included in the thinking box for solving economic problems – but that has now changed thanks to a woman whose highest educational attainment was but a diploma in secondary education. Her ideas and their implementation have continued to advance and enrich numerous lives in various communities around the world in the 20-year history of EoC.
No matter how optimistic we may be, life is still full of uncertainties as we face its mysteries moment by moment. But that’s the beauty of it! We don’t know what God wants from us and yet we Christians are happy – happy because we love God through our neighbours in the present moment. “Man’s principal resource is man himself.” So, fellow businessmen, as we go about our daily work, who is our neighbour? How can an entrepreneur neglect the value of his employees? Or his suppliers? As well as the community which allows him to thrive and make a living?
Communion: The EoC Commission and “The Bureau of Young People”
“When practiced in the economic sphere, reciprocal love (also called reciprocity or fraternity) results in communion.” Chiara Lubich and Luigino Bruni cannot place enough stress on the role of young people in translating this new concept to reality. “You,” and “young people”, are words so often used in their talks, that one cannot downplay the part of the youth in the realization of Jesus’ prayer, “May they all be one.” In fact, the three letters “you” come first in the words YOUth or the YOUng people – which means I have to think about YOU, someone outside of myself, if I even have the least intention of implementing such a revolutionary concept. During the extremely short open forum in Bruni’s lecture at UST, I got up to ask Bruni about the role of the youth in building a better future, and he answered, “You, young people are not the future, you are the present!” What a contrast from the way young people see things when they are swept along by the current of Philippine capitalism: iSchool, iGrad, iWork, iPass-away – rinse and repeat. It seems like the cycle just doesn’t stop.
But there is a bunch – a good bunch for that matter, who have dedicated much of their time to develop this concept – the EoC Commission and the “Bureau of Young People.” Always consulting one another, or “seeing things” in unity, members of the commission guide young people, who play a key role in directly making contact with their communities, schools and work places. It was encouraging to meet these people personally, and learn of their struggles and triumphs. When asked for his message to the young people during the meeting with the Focolare community of Manila, Bruni urged, “never be afraid to introduce change in the [political and economic] structure. Start now. If you won’t, who will?” Desi Sapnit, one of the youth initiators of the EoC Speakers Bureau gave this impression about Bruni’s visit: “He brought us the wisdom and culture of the Economy of Communion which springs from the charism and spirituality of unity, as he collaborated closely with Chiara Lubich for many years.
On its 20th year, the EoC continues to mature, so to speak – we understand it even better now than before, after years of business experience and practice in communion, as well as an effective mutual exchange between economists and entrepreneurs. Professor Bruni reminds us that our economy and enterprises should be oriented towards the poor who are the protagonists.
Thus, we must always include them in business endeavors, incorporating or taking into consideration existing social works and/or enterprises to reinforce collaborations. As for the youth, we encourage each other to study the EoC even better, ask questions, consult experts, work together, and gather the courage to be innovators, and not just speculators.”
Conclusion: Melting down barriers
The complete name of the EoC, is the Economy of Communion in Freedom. This concept, this culture, if lived, be it by an employee at the local book store, a Tempura vendor, or a senior high school student, can provide a whole new perspective on how we undertake and value our daily/regular economic activities and most of all, it can liberate us from our attachments, as from material goods, money, and recognition because everything will be motivated and done out of love, therefore, true freedom can be achieved. Thus, we can live like the early Christians, about whom the people in general observed and said, “See how they love one another!” God created us as masterpieces, making us his greatest investment and we should keep in mind the added value of that “fish,” as he has invested in us and entrusted us with the earth’s bountiful resources for the sake of humankind.
Instead of constantly asking that self-serving question, “What am I going to get out of this?” we may ask ourselves, “What are THEY going to get out of this?” In this way, life is lived well. We melt down barriers [of individualism] and build relationships. We can really move forward!
Jose Arvin Miranda
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