Depending On Voluntary Generosity

One thing the crisis
has shown us
is the majority of people
don’t think
about their fellow humans.

We don’t.

We aren’t voluntarily
wearing masks.
We aren’t voluntarily
staying inside our homes.

The protests
aren’t happening
because they benefit other people
either.

The majority of people
are taking action
because the movement
or the publicity
might directly benefit
their branding,
their businesses,
themselves.

We can speculate
why we don’t think
about others.
We can cast judgments
and say how very wrong that is.

But savvy business builders
accept this reality
and work with it.

This is why charities
give out gifts for donations,
why they hand out t-shirts
for participating in a charity event,
why they put the names
of big donors
on sides of buildings.

If you want prospects
to act generous,
appeal to their own
self interests.

Don’t expect them
to do the ‘right thing’
merely because
it is the ‘right thing.’