Micro-credit story can tell us a lot about the meaning of work

I am a big fan of the micro-credit movement. The GEO Principle points out that lending modest amounts of money (by American standards) can be a way of bringing meaning to Sabbath, for both the lender and the borrower.

Someone who really understands the importance of micro-credit is Muhammad Yunus, who founded Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work, spreading the concept of micro-lending. Although Americans might think of micro-lending as a tool for Third World countries, there are applications suitable for life in America and other highly-developed places. I encourage you to read Yunus’ book “Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the battle against world poverty.” I recommend Yunus’ book as suggested reading at the end of chapter 19 in the GEO Principle.

Yunus encourages readers to consider the entrepreneurial drive in so many people. This is a drive that is alive in many Third World citizens. These are folks who could do a lot with a little, if they only had access to a little. Yunus notes that standard theories about micro-economics are incomplete. “It views individual human beings as either consumers or laborers and essentially ignores their potential as self-employed individuals,” he writes.

“This theoretical dichotomy between entrepreneurs and laborers disregards the creativity and ingenuity in each human being,and considers widespread self-employment in Third World countries as a symptom of underdevelopment.” Yunus rejects that notion, noting that self-employment is the ticket out of poverty for millions of people around the world.

Yunus explains how credit makes self-employment possible: “In reality, credit creates economic power, which quickly translates into social power,” he writes. In many places around the world, people are tired of waiting for big companies to come in, set up shop and hire them. They are willing to work right now, and if that means taking the risk of a business owner to do it, so be it.

This isn’t the kind of business ownership that Americans typically associate with profit-oriented capitalism. Micro-businesses typically spring from the basis of all work: need. Micro-entrepreneurs look around, figure out what needs to be done, and do it. Sometimes a loan of $50 or $100 is all it takes to help that person get going.

The profit generated from these kinds of ventures aren’t about returning money to shareholders, but returning a wage to the person doing the work. As Americans who typically invest for financial return, we should never forget that the real return is that our money puts someone to work. Work gives a person dignity in many ways, but primarily because it provides a way for a person to grow closer to God.

Comments

[Coach outlet]

That's great stuff. Since I'm also very computer-centric, that's a way that would work very well for me. appreciate hearing from you! I'm thinking of a couple others I'll write up.Thanks you so much for all your kind compliments! I'm glad you find this site helpful!