Update on The World We Still Want

Heard from Peter today. The World We Want is nearing publication. He says in the oracular style of a trained poet,  "The World We Want starts with the Community We Want - so let's talk." Exactly.

Last night at a Dallas Social Venture Partners meeting, I heard Bob Buford, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, a man of deep religious faith, and a writer of best selling self discovery books, like Half Time. He cited his mentor, Peter Drucker, who gave Bob three big points. I quote from memory:

1. Fund extraordinary people, not institutions.
2. Build on islands of health, not problems to be solved.
3. Get big or get gone. Scale up to the size of the need, not down to the resources available.

Peter's native gift is finding those islands of health and celebrating them. In particular he finds and encourages, or assists, extraordinary people intent on positive change. Let us hope "The World We Want" can scale up to the size of the need, not down to the resources available. Peter's Rolodex includes key influencers from all walks of life, high and low. If anyone can forge the community and social network to reinvigorate our democracy it would be Peter and those one degree of separation from him. I suspect that The World We Want will mean more than breathing new life into our plutocratic duopoly, one set of rascals taking turns with the other set, like  Punch and Judy in a show commissioned to astonish the rubes while their pockets are picked by the puppet-master's shills. I suspect Peter has in mind something more open and democratic from the grassroots up, though we can't do it without the extraordinary people who can create an infrastructure to support this emerging community online and off.

Blogging philanthropy is not as lonely as it was. Here and there those in the know are entering the conversation. But there are so many of us who are potential contributors, not just of money. As Peter says, "The World We Want" begins with The Community We Want - so let's talk."

Comments

[Michael]

How do you train a poet?

[Tutor]

Get an MFA. That is one way. The other is, what? Apprenticeship maybe, imitating the august dead, hour and after hour.