Consider some of today’s hit TV shows i.e. Extreme Makeover,The Big Give, The Law of Attraction etc. with each demonstrating the transformational power of giving and thinking about giving.
Unlike institutional messages of the past the underlying themes surrounding us today is aimed at changing how we think about ourselves, our surroundings, our relations and the methods we use to pursue “gains“.
Consider the conversational rivers within the social web centric to “free” and how one can use “free” to make gains. Free is a method of giving but in most cases with some kind of expected return. There are millions of people and businesses adopting the “free” model of the social web however everyone is expecting returns from all that is being given freely. Returns from free come from relationships first, transactions follow.
What is The Wisdom of Relationships?
The premise of our book “The Emergence of The Relationship Economy” was that the advances to the web are creating an awakening of the power and possibilities that have and always will be essential to and within relationships. Relationships are fundamental to everything, everyone, anywhere and everywhere whether for personal or professional objectives.
Since the beginning of time the topic of “Relationships” have been discussed and the “wisdom of our fore fathers” has always been threaded with insights and profound truths all centric to “relationships” and how they are the foundation of life regardless of how or what we use that defines “life”.
Michael Pokocky, a good friend and co-collaborator, wrote us a note and said,” I just read “A New Earth “ and suggest that this is first an example of the Relationship Economy in action being that it is the worlds first largest webcast and second that this particular webcast on the book A New Earth is actually a benefit to all who want to assure themselves of success in the Relationship Economy, then he suggest that by taking this course and buying The Emergence of The Relationship Economy it will prepare anyone for maximizing their potential and minimizing the loss of time, energy and resources in the New Relationship Economy.”
I have been taking the course since the beginning, and already see results in many areas of my life, and since I understand the nature of the Relationship Economy through experience and reading and writing about it for over five years, I can see how much easier it is now to do anything, absolutely anything!
In his book, The Power of Now and A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle writes, “When I occasionally quote the words of Jesus or the Buddha…or from other teachings, I do so not in order to compare, but to draw your attention to the fact that in essence there is and always has been only one spiritual teaching, although it comes in many forms. Some of these forms, such as the ancient religions, have become so overlaid with extraneous matter that their spiritual essence has become almost completely obscured by it. To a large extent, therefore, their deeper meaning is no longer recognized and their transformative power lost. When I quote from the ancient religions or other teachings, it is to reveal their deeper meaning and thereby restore their transformative power—particularly for those readers who are followers of these religions or teachings. I say to them: there is no need to go elsewhere for the truth. Let me show you how to go more deeply into what you already have.”
What Do We Already Have?
We have our past, our present and our future. We have experiences, knowledge and relationships. Collectively each of us controls the combined value each of these attributes represent. How we use them going forward and what we learn and gain is largely an factor of what we’re willing to give up. Giving up past perceptions, past experiences and forging ahead with the experience of “newness” in connecting with others, sharing with others and helping others achieve their objectives is the essence of the social web, give to your relations and returns come back unexpected and unforeseeable.
The social web affords us the means and the medium to learn, relates and create. What we do with it is an individual choice and preference. How will you choose to prepare, understand then act is totally and unilaterally up to you and not one else. The economics of giving and learning to give freely is the fiber of the human fabric that makes the social web what it is and what it can be. The choice is yours.
What say you?