Happy 4th of July to those of you who celebrate the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence. I’m reminded of how US founding was viewed in Europe whenever I read parts of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, I’m reminded that (as he put it) the “great American experiment” yielded fruit — prosperity. Typically, the 4th is a celebration of the past. Yet as the 4th of July rolls around this year, I find myself wishing we (the people of the world) would learn more from the past and the present throughout the world about how to enable more people to be more prosperous.  

The reason I care deeply about economic freedom is that I care deeply about people. It’s not about perfection — there is no utopia. It’s about facing the reality of living in a world of scarce resources and finding ways to make the best of it. I’m proud to be part of an MBM community because of the focus on people (both within the organization and in society in general). I cannot imagine working for an organization that puts a higher priority on anything else.

My hope for the world on this day of US celebration is to learn from history, to ask what do we want the world to look like down the road, and to find realistic ways to get there. I hope in several years when I write my July 4th post I’ll be able to link back to this post and say the world is a more peaceful, prosperous, and civil place.

I wish you a happy — and reflective — 4th of July.

Here are a couple of specific notes about the care and upkeep of this blog. I’ll be taking a vacation this week with little or no access to the Internet. If you leave comments that require moderation, there may be a delay.

I want to take a moment to thank those of you who have continued to read, email and comment as the posts have gotten sporadic lately. The regular blog staff has dwindled to one (me) and the sporatic blogging is a result of prioritization, not a desire to shut down. I appreciate those of you who emailed or called to inquire about the status of the blog.

While I have access to general site analytics, your emails and comments have been one important way I can show indications of the blog being valuable to others. If you have found the blog contributes to your growth in understanding MBM and would like to see more time and effort devoted to making it better, I would appreciate a comment or email with a little detail about how the blog has helped. This will help me focus my current input and make decisions about future investments in the blog.

It’s funny how norms of behavior largely go unnoticed (unless one does something outside of them) until you’re in a new place and you don’t know the norms. There are comedians out there who make a living pointing out norms that seem perfectly usual until we step back and think about them.

I recently moved from DC to Atlanta. It’s amazing the difference in norms on the rail mass transit systems. In DC, it’s a social felony to be standing on the left side of the escalator. It’s not unusual to see tourists break this unlisted rule and the locals take a variety of action. They may stand behind the person and roll their eyes or sigh. They may say “Excuse me” and then push past the hapless tourist before there is a chance to react. Live in DC long enough, you may even see a local flip out when some poor guy from the Midwest doesn’t understand. I don’t know when it happened, but sometime in my 2+ years of living in DC, I turned into that annoyed local (not the kind that flipped out and pushed folks, but the annoyed one who stands back and does nothing but be annoyed).

Less than a month ago I moved to Atlanta. Not only are the norms on mass transit here different, they are (to a former DC dweller) infuriatingly different. (However, I am convinced once I live here long enough I will turn into just another Atlanta mass transit rider and not remember why it seemed odd to me when I first moved here). In Atlanta, those of us who don’t like to stand still and walk up/down escalators even when we’re not in a hurry are the oddballs. No matter the length of the escalator, it’s typical to just ride it out. There’s no strong stand-to-the-right norm here, and the few times I’ve asked to get by someone I got the stink-eye.

I’m sure you’re thinking by now, “Why the big rant about mass transit behaviors?” Well, it made me think of the rules of just conduct. “In society, rules of just conduct encompass both the rule of law and norms of behavior… For a free society to function, beneficial norms of behavior, such as honesty, respect for others and their property, making a contribution, being responsible and taking initiative must be widely practiced” (Science of Success, 77-78).

I am in no way suggesting the mass transit escalator norms can make or break a free society. I am suggesting that some norms are more beneficial than others (you can guess where I currently stand on the mass transit norms…). We can use social pressure to help advance norms (both good and bad). Sometimes we are too ingrained in the culture to be able to see and evaluate norms.

What’s this mean for the organization?

Read the rest of this entry »

norms of behavior, Rules of Just Conduct; mass transit;

I wanted to write about this story months ago, but held my fire because I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mark Boyle—a man who planned to walk from England to India without any money, relying on the kindness of strangers. He did manage to make it as far as Calais, France, where he discovered to his surprise that people thought he was a wandering freeloader and promptly withheld their charity. Mr. Boyle doesn’t believe in money, and thus adds his name to long tradition of disdain for currency that probably began right after Croesus put his first stamp on a little bead of electrum.

Of course, there is something very natural about disliking the institution of money—people will assault, maim, and even kill for it. However, money is the handiest of inventions and paradoxically the very thing that makes the charity that Mr. Boyle so desperately needed to make his pilgrimage possible. Money is not something imposed on people, but an institution that arises naturally in society. Even if there are no notes or coins available, people will find something—anything—to act as a medium of exchange in order to compare apples to oranges. Native Americans (often erroneously cited as examples of non-market societies) used sea shells. Constantly starved for cash by the British, American colonists traded receipts for tobacco. Gold and silver are traditional favorites, but they have occasionally been supplanted by such commodities as salt, beaver pelts, peppercorns, and even chocolate. My personal favorite spontaneous money supply is the curious bi-commodic system of cognac (used for large purchases) and cigarettes (used for smaller transactions and to make change), which prevailed in Western Europe following World War II.

While disdain for money is certainly understandable, those who hold such views mistakenly forget why money exists. Strangely, money’s critics usually champion some sort of barter system, which is exactly what money is—a system of barter through a mutually agreed upon medium of exchange. Money allows division of labor and ease of exchange essential to prosperous society, and only a prosperous society can afford charity (or welfare for that matter, which is an institution unique to countries with market economies). Mr. Boyle may make it to India eventually, and he might even do so without any money; but he will not be able to do so unless the institution he despises paves the way with prosperity.