I remember as a child living in a neighborhood where the neighbors really cared for one another and where there were no families in need. It was a street where there was much trust. If you happen to be playing with the other children in another house and it was lunch time, the family will serve you food. If a neighbor harvested mangoes you will get surely get a dozen of them. If someone in the neighborhood gets sick and is hospitalized, you will get visitors from the neighborhood. And yet, come to think of it, people’s work were of the types that did not make them extraordinarily rich. But no one was in need.
My parents were teachers, another family sold meat in the market, another was a seamstress, still another, a piano teacher, still another was the chief of police of the town. There was trust, solidarity and well-being. It was an economy of communion that worked.
UST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Last September 23-24, 2011, the University of Santo Tomas, in commemoration of its 400 years anniversary held an international congress on “Poverty Alleviation”. It was sponsored by the College of Commerce and the Graduate School. It dealt on the challenges and solutions to the problem of poverty. It had several international speakers. What impressed me most was the presentation of Dr. Luigino Bruni, President of the Commission of the Economy of Communion and a Professor of the University of Milan. He spoke of “ Signs of Hope for a New Economic Paradigm in the Global Era”.
SERIOUS ECONOMIC CRISIS
He noted that the world economy today, is now facing the most serious crisis since 1929 and that all the leaders of the economic community are called to a new, greater responsibility and commitment to find new sustainable ways for the market economy. The globalization process can offer new opportunities but also risks transforming the world where everything becomes a commodity. He cited two ways for moving forward. One choice is communion with the concept of redistribution , gift and an exchange of equals. The other is to look at everything as a commodity with no room for genuine and non-instrumental relationships.
ECONOMY OF COMMUNION
The main challenge of the Economy of Communion (EOC) is to show that it is possible to build businesses and communities, oriented towards authentic relationships, where reciprocity has the right to exist, also within the economic domain. EOC is one of the concrete hopes for finding together new cultural signs and concrete ways for a sustainability in the new global era faced with environmental challenges, poverty & exclusion.
Bruni also cited the recent encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI Caritas in Veritate that “ that in commercial relationships the principle of gratuitousness and the logic of gift as an expression of fraternity can and must find their place within normal economic activity. This is a human demand at the present time, but it is also demanded by economic logic.”
ORIGINS OF EOC
The economy of Communion started when Chiara Lubich , founder of the Focolare Movement visited Sao Paolo, Brazil, in May 1991 and was struck by the many slums around the city – in stark contrast to the modern skyscrapers. The inspiration consisted in extending the dynamics of communion from individuals & families living the spirit of Focolare to business enterprises. It was giving in freedom profits for three goals: to finance development of the business, to spread the culture of communion and to help the people in need with projects, according to the principle of subsidiarity.
Today the Economy of Communion includes 9 business parks of innovative industrial districts in Brazil, Argentina, the USA, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and 800 businesses around the world. It has also been widely studied with 300 dissertations written for various degrees & PhDs in different disciplines. Compared to the classical market exchange that is instrumental and conditional, EOC is based on relations of reciprocity and knowledge of identity.
Economic governance according to EOC is not based on the market alone but takes into account the needs of the poor going beyond the distributive dimension. Catholic social doctrine supports the concept that the poor are the key protagonists in their own lives and development and help in terms of resources is only secondary. The principle of subsidiarity states that external help does not substitute the poor taking responsibility for themselves.
EOC and the Entrepreneur
In EOC, the entrepreneur is highly regarded. The attainment of a good & prosperous life on the part of great numbers of people would be unimaginable were it not for business leaders who create jobs, wealth, & new products. They also develop innovations which constantly expand human opportunities & freedom. EOC views the world of economics, labour, & business in a positive light as a significant sphere for creativity & service to society and a civilizing element in human affairs. The business leader is not a speculator, but essentially an innovator& a project builder.
Bruni cites the EOC experience & culture as one path, towards a unified logic of existence in the era of globalization. He also hopes that our young, creative Filipino society and economy could find its way to the market economy keeping its communitarian and Christian roots.
Indeed the choice is clear, our country can go to the direction of the “global village” and achieve happiness rather than the way of consumerism and greed that increases the gap between the rich and the poor.
[Tita Datu Puangco is President and CEO of Ancilla Enterprise Development Consulting, an innovative provider of Organization Development and Training solutions in the ASEAN region. These solutions include strategy development and execution, managing change breakthroughs, brand management, innovation and human resource systems. For your letters/ feedback, kindly email: tita.datu76@gmail.com). For other inquiries, please call 8810-3129/0920-9218332/0917-8348176]
