The Give and Take
We have a society very oriented towards productivity. Our work is a big part of our definition of having a successful life. Though there is a lot of talk of the ‘old work-force’ and the ‘new-work-force’ and the different skills you need for each, something that has not changed is the value of hard-work and ambition. There are hundreds of resources the enterprising person can find on what they need to get ahead and be successful in their work. This is just as true in the social sector, where I have spent most of my short working career, as it is in the for-profit sector. You have to give 200% for what you really want – whether it is to make your fortune or change the world.
I would like to share a comment I heard the other day that left me with a lot of questions. It came from a man who was giving a talk on community with some youth mentors from the Jane & Finch neighbourhood. “For every one thing we put out, we absorb one hundred things. Even if you come in to a community as mentor or teacher, you will take a lot from the experience. You will always gain more than you give, just expect it.” This sounds great – but presents a very interesting conundrum. If everybody takes away more than they give, then you have a serious situation of demand exceeding supply. It would seem there is not enough to go around. Was he getting it wrong? How could the picture he painted be possible?
Yet, I can think of times – clubs, social circles, workshops, camps – where it does seem like everyone received a lot, more than it might have been possible for them to give. It turns out that a few theorists and academics have picked up on this pattern. There is a wealth of writing on the value of strong worker-community to an organization’s creativity and productivity. Furthermore, people have been researching ‘social capital’ for years, tying it to things like increased productive potential in communities and well-being in individuals. Social capital, according to Tocqueville, is “a propensity for individuals to join together to address mutual needs and to pursue common interests…[it is a] level of community – community spirit, civic engagement, a sense of individual stewardship or trusteeship for the common good, a sense of being recognized and valued, a sense of belonging”.
Our society’s narrative of what it takes to be successful is very focused on the individual. We tell the story of a sea of people each struggling down a separate, unique path, each with their own needs and wants, each with their own adventure. However, there is an alternative story, one in which no one needs to give 200% and yet we all end up with more than we need. When we come together in community, we have more power than we do as a collective of individuals. The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Every story has its purpose. The emphasis we put on individuals is rooted in a story told by several intelligent, well-known historical figures who lived in Europe. Locke wrote about each person’s inherent right to defend their private property, Smith wrote about the natural economic rules that emerge from each person acting in their personal interest, Mills set out some basic tenants of morality. These men and many others constructed a narrative about human nature and social behaviour which underlies the basic structures of our society – the economy, our political system, our laws, what we consider right and wrong. This in turn defines many of the norms we live by, and what society celebrates as success.
This narrative is very, very rich. However, it is flawed. We have more power when we come together in community than when we act as individuals. It takes effort to maintain a healthy community, but what we receive nurtures us as human beings and amplifies the impact of our individual energies. It is certainly a good thing to be a hard-worker, but there are many good things in life. When we understand the abundance offered by coming together as a caring collective, we understand that hard work is one of many good ways to be. When we see that we can have a beautiful, plentiful world without absolutely maximizing efficiency and productivity, ‘hard work’ loses much of its status. It is no longer as clear whether we want to prioritize ‘hard work’ or ‘productivity’ above other things that society considers fairly normal to sacrifice for it, such as authenticity, humour, health, relationships, exploration or relaxation. When someone tells us, with good intention and absolute conviction, that “you have to take on more, finish ahead of schedule and work double the hours if you want to be successful or make a real difference,” we are in a better position to evaluate their advice, and whether it applies to us in our present situation. For we know that the story of the individual is incomplete, and that there are alternative routes we can take to happiness and powerful impact.
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