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RE: Ice House Program Battle Hardship with Entrepreneurship

August 22, 2011 @ 06:49 PM

G Dale Meyer said...

Steven Downward: A young man in his late 20s who has done well economically [we are not told in what business nor how well he is actually doing]. As a 75 year old man who has also done extremely well financially over a lifttime, I note Steven's "self-made man" mindset. I challenge anyone at any age to sit down and make a list of those who have come along and have given you personally their time, help, kind caring, and even money as you have progressed through life's seasons. If you can be truly honest the list will be large - from parents, relatives, strangers, teachers, neighbors, friends, partners, et al. No one is fundamentally a "self-made person" and humility can begin with that realization. Most humble, gracious, kind and "whole" people who have earned their wealth develop compassion as well as materialistic success and are generous in helping others. Ewing Marion Kauffman was a true sage among the rich and powerful class. Hopefully Steven will someday examine and constrain his ego while developing gratitude for those who have helped him; but also for those with lives that have been overwhelmed with "dukkha" (look it up) that physically and/or mentally generated lives that precluded acquiring foundational tools, health, skills or sanity that lifted them into higher social and economic classes. A wealthy entrepreneur without a sense of humanity will essentially be bankrupt unless s/he finds purposefulness beyong materialism. People with "taker" egos without a social conscience are often shunned in their elder years living their own hell of utter lonliness.

I certainly hope that the Kauffman executives regularly revisit and internalize the kindness, morality, and compassionate nature of Mr. Kauffman himself. I both knew of him and met him - his set of values, compassionate conscience, and a sense of whole/healthy community don't coincide with Mr. Downward's expressed values about governments and helping the poor. The choice of Downward as the first commentator from the interviews by Kauffman investigators is unfortunate unless Downward's egoism is the Kauffman message. I doubt that; certainly the Ice Box research discovered and will feature multifaceted whole and compassionate entrepreneurs as well.