My So-Called Development
I’d just dropped $100,000 for a master’s degree at Columbia University. One hundred thousand dollars for 2 years of intense study, a thesis in Mozambique and exposure to some of the greatest minds in economics, development and international politics. But I was completely uninterested in my apparent post-graduation options. After discussing lofty subjects in the halls of academia, the prospect of passing memos back and forth between cubicles in the UN was underwhelming and the thought of becoming a statistics monkey writing project proposals no one would read, left a sinking feeling in my tummy. Had I lived in multiple countries, managed projects and written astute and cogent theses, for a future in mindless, hierarchical drone work? And how was this supposed to make a difference in the world exactly? I had pushed myself towards this nebulous goal since the age of sixteen - but instead of being able to channel my skills and experience into improving the development industry, I felt asphyxiated by the inefficiency and senselessness of working for non-profit and multi-lateral organizations.
Tellingly, I was not alone in feeling this way. A snapshot of the development field over the years, paints a depressing picture: millions of dollars of investment and manpower have failed to end poverty or even drastically reduce it. The best development theories and economic policies haven’t changed the fact that millions of people live on less than a dollar a day and that fulfilling all the UN Millennium Development Goals is a distant possibility – even more idealist than the Peace Corps! To make matters worse, non-profit organizations often change their mission to attract whatever grant monies are available and often the lion’s share of development budgets gets eaten up by development workers’ salaries. The fight against poverty has so far included ridiculous notions like dropping food from helicopters to starving nations, promoting democracy and forcing a liberalization of trade (sometimes to the detriment of the economy for the developing nation they are trying to help). Foreign aid and donations all amount to throwing simple money at a complicated problem. The nagging questions in development remain: Can any one nation or program incentivize or empower another to develop? How can outsiders motivate others to change?
Answer: we cannot ever motivate other people (let alone an entire country/community) to change. But we can help support them in doing it for themselves - and accordingly, the most exciting development theories that have been put into place, focus on empowerment, or try to address the lack of opportunity. These theories harness the power of self-motivation and passion and play on the spirit of entrepreneurialism; the hottest trend in development is microfinance, i.e. giving would-be entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow a business by facilitating access to loans. So instead of giving money away to programs led by foreigners, opportunities are being generated and development achieved via the initiative, drive and passion of those on the ground. Development needs to focus not on trying to motivate change but creating the necessary opportunities for it.
The equation of passion + drive + opportunity = development, holds true for me in a personal sense also. While the majority of the developing world languishes without enough opportunity, I have suffered the opposite. Back in my graduate mire of unappealing options, my lack of professional motivation was not for lack of opportunity, but for lack of passion. My passion for “making a difference” was stymied by the idea of working for an inefficient organization. So instead I made a professional move towards entrepreneurialism. I now work for a small business whose survival is dependent on my efficiency, which is the kind of invigoration I was looking for. I moved into the retail wine industry, focusing on corporate and private events, product development, PR and marketing for a company called Bottlerocket. I am working harder than ever and every day the necessary skill set expands, but I have never felt so fulfilled.
To be clear, I am neither a blind advocate of microfinance nor of abandoning your corporate job for a position in a small business. There is no silver bullet for solving third world poverty or for confronting personal apathy. However, I have benefited from puzzling at this equation of development, opportunity and passion and my conclusion is this: those in poverty require more access to opportunity for self-improvement, not handouts but the chance to become motivated to change their own lives. And as for myself, when I look back at the highlights of my 28 years, I see that they correspond to those times when my drive to accomplish was met with choice opportunities. My raw optimism has survived beyond the Peace Corps....and is now focused on following my passion. As hackneyed as it sounds, I truly believe that when it comes to our personal development, the richest source of motivation is to pursue the things we love.
