Making the Invisible, Visible

You have to love Warren Buffet. When I grow up I want to be as wise as he is. Warren Buffet has a unique approach to making decisions. I think that it should be a mantra for all elected leaders when they make decisions that affect all of us. In John Rawls' 1971 book A Theory of Justice, Buffet noted, "Let's say that it was 24 hours before you were born, and a genie appeared and said, 'What I'm going to do is let you set the rules of the society into which you will be born. You can set the economic rules and the social rules, and whatever rules you set will apply during your lifetime and your children's lifetimes.' And you'll say, 'Well, that's nice, but what's the catch?' And the genie says, 'Here's the catch. You don't know if you're going to be born rich or poor, white or black, male or female, able-bodied or infirm, intelligent or [developmentally disabled].'"

I think that the economic and social rules are mostly set by people of privilege. According to Peggy McIntosh privilege is "an invisible package of unearned assets". Where and how you are born--rich or poor, white or black, male or female, able-bodied or infirm, intelligent or developmentally disabled as Buffet points out, is the luck of the draw. None-the-less, the moment you are born, where and how you are born will begin to chart your future.

For the past 12 years, I have been a member of a foundation team that returns money to society. Giving away money must be easy, you might think. Actually, it is very difficult and is best when done strategically to empower those you serve. Always the need is greater than the dollars available. Plugging one hole in the dike is not the answer for a weak dike. As Martin Luther King, Jr., said "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustices that make philanthropy necessary."

According to Simone P. Joyaux, social justice "is about fair treatment in all areas of personal and community life" and equity "is about making the invisible, visible." In our foundation, we work with non-profit organizations that provide services to people with mental illnesses, people with problems related to substance abuse, and people who have difficulty accessing primary care, usually because of poverty. I don't think that 24 hours before they were born, these people knew what their life circumstances would be. I think that often they are invisible and that they don't have much of a voice in setting the economic and social rules of their or their children's lifetimes.

An American Indian proverb comes to mind: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." Similarly, the society we create is our legacy to our children and grandchildren, regardless of where or how they are born: rich or poor, white or black, male or female, able-bodied or infirm, intelligent or developmentally disabled. Sometimes I ponder just what it was that we borrowed and just what it is that we are returning.