How the Next Generation Will Save the World
Let me tell you a story about my generation.
We were idealists. We didn’t know why the world was so messed up, but it was probably because the older generations sucked.
Nevermind that, we were here now.
So we went to college for things like international relations and environmental science.
But sooner or later, we figured it out: you have to survive. You can’t spend all day saving the world.
So we distanced ourselves from our past self and their naive ideals. “I sure hope someone fixes this,” we said as we rushed past the homeless to our jobs.
Well, not all of us.
The more dedicated went into politics to try to change things from the inside out, or spent their days writing grant proposal after grant proposal to keep their nonprofit afloat.
After all, it’s only institutions that can make real change, right?
Let me tell you a story about the next generation.
The next generation are idealists. They don’t know why the world is so messed up, but it’s probably because the older generations sucked.
Nevermind that, they’re here now.
They see something that they don’t like. Hey, why are all these homeless people sleeping on the street when micro homes are so cheap and easy to build?
They talk to their friends about how to construct a micro home, how much it would cost, and how long it would take. They create a campaign for the project. They break it down into milestones:
- finish the plans
- buy materials
- deliver a prototype
- get feedback and improve
- show the homeless community how to set up campaigns and build the homes
They share their campaign on social media. Some people think their plan sounds good, so they send some ether to it. The donors know their ether will either pay for completed milestones or be returned to them.
So they finish the plans and share them with the people who sent some ether. Milestone 1’s ether is unlocked. Funded, they move on to milestone 2.
It’s easy.
After all, with Giveth, anyone can make real change.
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” — Steve Jobs
