It Was All Supposed to Be Better When We Grew Up

No matter how vividly we were told that life might prove difficult, very few are dissuaded from working to achieve their dreams.  This is, of course, good.  However, most of us are also full of misplaced confidence.  Though none of us is ever sure of what we will have to experience to be prepared for what life has in store for us, we still usually aren’t ready to face our discouragement over what we come to see in ourselves. 

As we grow and become more discerning, the discouraging aspect is that the choices and consequences we seem to notice in others is often a reflection of what we also see in ourselves. We may even reach a level of outright disillusionment as we see our "little" faults as the cause of some of the “unpleasant” consequences of our choices rather than from others doing bad things to us. 

We attempt to bottle up our little faults to keep them from breaking out, yet they seem to be just below the surface ready to leap out in a foolish act.  We may have even imagined that when we began to grow in more wisdom and knowledge, life would be continually easier and become an unending pleasure.  Too frequently, it seems to work in the opposite direction as some inner force tries to pull us back, returning us toward our former state, miserable though it may be.

This is good.  First, the older and more mature we become, the more we can discern.  Our discouragement can turn to thankful encouragement because, even though we perceive the dark side in ourselves, our ability to discern it more clearly is evidence of growth.

Secondly, it is encouraging to understand that for us to grow, we must first be aware of that dark side.

Thirdly, it is wonderful to understand that as we see more aspects of the not-so-nice parts of human nature that it should help us also discern the implications of those who have sacrificed or helped us succeed.

Fourthly, these things should motivate us to yearn for the time we will be free of the bondage we put on ourselves.

The removal of ignorance is a wonderfully rewarding gift.  Even so, regret sometimes comes easily because we allowed ourselves to be deceived into trusting our own works were independent of a larger, infinitely, integrated universe.  Two notions necessary to maintain our inner strength are key: 1) If we fail to conduct ourselves properly, even according to our own standards, it is not difficult to understand that the past will repeat itself, and 2) We may be hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not hopeless.

Another Ideological Future Think of International Development

The expression, “Armies always re-fight the last war,” might also apply to development agencies.  Yesterday’s problems are engaged with outdated design.  Next development policy must have both present and future value.  What does that mean and what trends and policy emerge a decade from now?  

Trends

1.      Fewer poor countries. The old idea of a binary world of a few rich countries surrounded by lots of poor ones (G8 vs. G77) is no longer true.  This includes not just fast-growing India and China, but countries including many in Africa.  International loan programs for many poor countries will decrease in 10-15 years because current clients will be too rich to qualify.

2.      New donors break traditional aid cartels. The old donor-recipient model dominated by the 34 governments in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is passé. New donors (China, India, the Gulf, etc.) have different rules and different aid models linked to commerce.  Private philanthropists rival mid-size government donors in both size and influence.  The Gates Foundation distributes about $3 billion per year, which would make it on par with the aid programs of Italy or Australia.  Private sources of capital—hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and other investment vehicles—are also sources of capital for poor regions.  Private capital investment to Africa was $55 billion last year, almost double the level of traditional aid.

3.      The end of the “doubling aid” era.  The “Gleneagles (Scotland) call for doubling aid” to Africa to $85/person by 2010 as part of the G8 Millennium Development Goals fell short, British and Australian pledges aside.  Prospects for major public sector aid dollars expansion are probably low.  Fiscal exigency across Europe and North America will likely hasten the relevance of private and non-OECD projects.

Policy

1.      More demand for value.  This is the early stage of results-based aid. Output-based aid is here while outcome-based aid (AKA Cash on Delivery) is being piloted.  Cash transfer accounting models are being applied because these are more efficient and as a reaction to old aid models that aren’t.

2.      Global public goods supplant country programs. With only a few dozen really poor countries left, and many poor people in middle-income countries, investment solutions will have impact beyond a single country.  This means more emphasis on vaccines, agricultural technology, clean energy, regional infrastructure and other factors that cannot be done by designing narrow country programs in Mali or Haiti.  Of course, political aid and bribes to allies for strategic reasons will stay in a country silo.

3.      Development shift toward non-aid tools. The UK debate about its aid program in India is a sign of the future.  The British public is asking why its scarce aid dollars might go to a country with $300 billion in reserves and a space program.  More to the point, India doesn’t want British aid.  It wants business, technology and visas.  This is increasingly true for Indonesia, Nigeria, Mongolia, Vietnam, etc., etc., etc.  For the OECD countries, development policy and tools have to be redesigned to encourage trade, investment, migration and other global interactions that are beyond the purview of aid agencies.

Conclusion

The new world isn’t here yet.  Western governments do not embrace these trends.  They are not set up to deal with change.  USAID and IDA were established years ago for a different world.  They show their age.  

Budget systems do not handle results-based aid models well.  Agencies maintain country-based allocations and strategies.  Credible/efficient ways to fund global public goods are illusive.  Even modestly articulating the concepts are more buzzwords than reality.  Finally, private sector tools are underutilized and even under threat (read the Overseas Private Investment Corporation—OPIC—in the USA).

This brief essay helps outline why the USA struggles with development reorganization and mistakenly embraces a flawed whole-of-government model.  Creating modern institutions with the capability to respond to new world demands may sound like moving chairs on the Titanic, but it will be required for competitive resources budgeted for global development.  Otherwise, function will continue to follow form while development agencies and their ideas fight the last war on poverty again rather than the upcoming one.

Weird How Thinking About Dying Can Give Direction for Life

Woke up this morning and just started writing after reading this quote.  Two cups of coffee later it ended in this...

“Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ― Steve Jobs

True confession: As a young person, I was totally freaked out by anything related to death or dying. It just wasn't something that was discussed in my family.

It wasn’t until I was older that I realized nobody talked about it!  In our modern Western society we are so obsessed with youth and beauty and spending and ambition that we ignore our inevitable demise as much as humanly possible. All the avoidance around the topic of death and dying reflects our denial of it.

Then people I loved started to die. And my perspective on life changed dramatically. Steve Jobs said this while he was trying to understand death during his own prolonged illness.  He also said, “What difference does it make if you are the richest person in the cemetery?”  It reminded of me of what I am learning from others who talked about their regrets in life while they were dying.

They said:

    I wish I hadn’t worked so hard;

    I wish I'd loved and expressed my feelings more;

    I wish I'd stayed in touch with my family and friends;

    I wish that I had let myself be happier;

    I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

To this, I add;

    I wish I had the wisdom and understanding to have learned all this 45 years ago.

Sent with love and thoughts of you before I am dying…

Charles

P.S. Someone read this and added: When you let the wrong people in your house, stuff comes up missing like Joy, Peace, Love, Hope and Faith.