Remember the adage, “Live simply so that others may simply live”? Spoken first by Mahatma Gandhi, or so they say. The line has been around for a long time and was especially popular a decade or more ago. It became the sort of thing often seen on bumper stickers and T-shirts.
You don’t hear it much anymore. Partly because all sayings have a shelf life and expire in our insatiable culture. But also because our methods to improve the lives of others have shifted tactics. Rather than calling people to a life of self-denial (which was how the “live simply” was basically meant), we are now calling people and businesses to give back through the capitalist system. Micro-enterprise, socially responsible investing, triple bottom line, the new economy, the sharing economy … it operates under many names in many variations but it all comes down to creating equal access to financial opportunities.
Our dogma of the era appears to be, “Live profitably so others may profitably live.”
Or how about, “Profit modestly so others may modestly profit.”
Nowadays you see the idea expressed everywhere in any kind of social endeavor. Businesses claim to give back a percent of their profits, social enterprises look for ways to do good in the world, and non-profit organizations seek financially sustainable models to support their work as they open doors of opportunities. We are all looking for profits so others can profit.
So what do you think … should we print up T-shirts, bumper stickers and keychains with the expression on it? Oh wait, selling a lot of junk isn’t living very simply. But if we can make it profitable we can fit right in with the new trend!
But then again … what’s so wrong with simple self-denial?
