Seriously. Right now. Stop giving back.
Whoa! You are probably wondering if I have finally lost it. Isn’t that the epitome of greed? Aren’t we supposed to give back to those less fortunate than us? Aren’t we supposed to redistribute back into the system? (sorry, it is political nonsense season)
Here is my question to you: What did you TAKE that you now have to give BACK? What did you do to make you bear the guilt of wealth? Why do you feel guilty if you or current/past family members have achieved wealth? Of course, at Impact Capitalist, we dismiss wealth acquisitions that take advantage or harm others – those people should feel guilty. But Impact Capitalists should be proud that they created personal wealth by adding value to others – They should not be the villains of this story.
There is a leftist narrative that people with money must have acquired these resources in an evil way. The words “giving back” just builds upon that narrative. It is as if we accept that we have been given or stolen something, thus we must give back. We must pay for our evil deeds.
Now, I am not advocating for abandoning philanthropic efforts, community engagement, or other pro-social acts of giving. Go ahead and donate to the arts and education. It does help. What I am saying is to stop saying “giving back”. You are not giving back. You are adding value in other ways.
Like capitalism, we need to steal back the narrative of generous giving and meaningful contribution. You are gifting resources and time. You are allocating resources to personal issues and agendas. You volunteer. You contribute. You support. Be generous. Donate liberally. Make a difference. But stop giving BACK.
May you all acquire great amounts of wealth (through impact capitalism) so that, if you choose, you may further add societal value to non-commercial endeavors – out of the goodness of your heart, not a sense of obligation or guilt.
TAF