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to subscribe to the monthly FLOW newsletter.
Dear FLOW members,
In this edition…
Congratulations to GlobalGiving
We congratulate our friends at GlobalGiving, the online marketplace for international philanthropy, on being chosen as the Leo Burnett Agency's long-term, pro bono, non-profit partner. While GlobalGiving brings to life the stories of social entrepreneurs around the world and facilitates direct funding of their projects, the GlobalGiving story is as inspiring as any other.
We will regularly feature stories about GlobalGiving projects on our home page (as well as inspirational stories from other sources). We encourage you to visit GlobalGiving for hundreds of inspiring stories of entrepreneurs improving life in their communities through creative approaches to significant challenges, pursued with courage, passion, and intention.
March Member Platform: James Peron
For another “extension” of our understandings of “social responsibility,” please read this month’s Member Platform entitled "Let the Children be Children," a heart-wrenching story by Jim Peron that shows what the alternative to child labor is in many nations – from the perspective of a young girl.
Upcoming FLOW Gatherings
FLOW advisor Susan Neiderhoffer continues to host monthly FLOW gatherings in New York City. Stay tuned for details on the April gathering.
FLOW friend Charlie Frohman, in collaboration with other friends of FLOW, has catalyzed monthly gatherings in Washington, DC under the banner of “Conscious & Creative Entrepreneurs.” The next gathering will be Saturday April 8th at 7 pm at Spiral Flight Yoga Studio., and will feature a short talk by Capitol Creativity Network founder Michelle James, an art exhibit by Diana Boros, and good food and drink from local establishments. For more information contact .
FLOW, Inc. receives 501 (c) 3 status from the IRS
We are happy to announce that we have received our 501 (c) 3 status from the IRS, which means that contributions to FLOW are tax deductible. Thank you to Phyllis Blees for guiding us in the application process.
Michael Strong’s Reflections on February FLOW
Because FLOW is dedicated to “liberating the entrepreneurial spirit for good,” our work is sometimes identified with that of the socially responsible investing movement. Like them, we are committed to doing good by means of business. But our vision, goals, and understanding of what “socially responsible” means are much larger, less restrictive, and, we believe, potentially more effective at achieving peace and well-being.
One of the most inspiring communications I received in the last month was a newsletter Gary Hoover sent to me from Zawya.com, “Live and comprehensive coverage of business, finance and stock markets in the Middle East and the Arab world.” It was filled with prosaic deal-making and business news, a spirited entrepreneurial community to be sure, but of no more interest to most in the “socially responsible investment” community than would an issue of Forbes. But the fact that it was based in the Islamic world, and that it included evidence that the entrepreneurial spirit was spreading from Dubai throughout the region, was worth celebrating.
Thomas Barnett is the author of The Pentagon’s New Map, an influential book outlining U.S. military strategy for the 21st century. Barnett divides the world into “the functioning core” and “the non-integrating gap.” His map provides a visual representation of these global boundaries and shows the extent to which U.S. military operations are focused on the “the non-integrated gap.”
Although Barnett advocates a global military role for the U.S. in a manner that makes me uncomfortable, he also acknowledges that if we can integrate the non-integrated gap into the “functioning core” through integration into the global economy then the military activity that he advocates will be unnecessary.
One way to conceptualize a peace movement is as a movement that fights and protests the use of military force. But even if one is against the use of military force in principle, one must acknowledge that horrible events were taking place in Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere in the non-integrating gap. As successful market economies replace impoverished dictatorships we will create a more peaceful world. From this perspective, Barnett’s map is a useful visual representation of those locations where we most urgently need to work towards successful global integration.
Dubai and its entrepreneurial spirit (deliberately liberated by means of free zones) is key to this enterprise. Dubai has been described as “Las Vegas on steroids.” From a symbolic perspective, Las Vegas is at the other end of the spectrum from, say, Whole Foods Market. And yet if the other monarchies of the United Arab Emirates imitate Dubai, and capitalism spreads throughout the Arab peninsula, and acts of terrorism decrease, then support for Dubai-style capitalism in the Middle East is support for peace.
The most terrifying possibility in the coming years is a catastrophic terrorist event such as the nuclear annihilation of one or more major cities. If New York or D.C. is vaporized, then, beyond the immediate, unthinkable horrors of loss of life, we will enter an age of war unlike anything we have seen in the past. There will be no more civil liberties; Homeland Security will monitor and control our every action at a level of detail beyond what we can imagine. This is likely to happen regardless of the party in office, and if not after the first major city is vaporized then surely after it happens the second time. Moreover, again regardless of which party is in office, the U.S. will attack perceived enemies with a ruthlessness that makes Abu Ghraib and the lives lost in Iraq seem minor. The possibility exists that life, for those of us who remain alive, could be much, much worse in the years ahead.
This is why I feel a sense of urgency to disseminate a successful, positive model of capitalism and democracy around the world. This is why, from a FLOW perspective, “socially responsible investing” should include investment in a wide range of capitalist enterprises in the Islamic worlds, more with an eye to their commitment to democracy and classical liberalism rather than to an eye to whether or not they are despoiling their natural resources or use animal products.
In the long run, we certainly support those organizations that are working to create an ever more positive standard of life in the developed world. The long-term goal is certainly not an entire planet consisting merely of “Las Vegas on steroids.” Indeed, as I have written elsewhere, I regard the Las Vegas propensities of the U.S. to be, in part, the result of the fact that we have legalized markets in gambling and pornography but outlawed markets in happiness and well-being. (Click here for more on markets in happiness and well-being). Insofar as we are acting as a cultural leader for the world, we have an obligation to legalize markets in happiness and well-being so that we provide more morally honorable cultural leadership to the world.
We need to work towards peace and prosperity for all; spreading Dubais around the world is one of the fastest means of achieving this goal. We need to work towards sustainable happiness and well-being for all; legalizing markets in happiness and well-being in the U.S. is a pre-requisite for achieving this goal. By liberating the entrepreneurial spirit both inside and outside the U.S. we can create a world in which nine billion human beings can experience sustainable peace, prosperity, and happiness.
Peace,
Michael
Michael Strong, CEO & Chief Visionary Officer
P.S. FLOW is above all a forum of free exchange for its members in the quest for sustainable peace, prosperity, and happiness. We welcome your feedback to the content of this newsletter and all FLOW activities and publications. Please send your thoughts to .
P.P.S. Please join one of our five themed discussion groups, and participate in our active and growing community, at www.flowrealism.org or www.flowidealism.org (FLOW, where idealism and realism both lead to the same place).
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