Most of us have thought about this, even if we don’t talk about it. Those of us who are reasonable know we aren’t likely ever to come into millions of dollars, because gaining wealth is a slow process, usually, and winning the lottery is so rare that anyone who expects it is being foolish. Still, we can dream… and if I ever have the ability, here’s what I will do.
First, I will pay off all my bills, including mortgages, and put aside a certain amount to be an endowment for my future income. It will be an amount large enough that I can live off the interest indefinitely if I need to. Then I will make some reasonable distributions to members of my family. This will be enough to take the edge off their financial worries, but not enough to make them think they can stop working. I do not want to be anyone’s excuse for professional failure or sloth.
Next, I will endow a few scholarships at my alma maters, because education is important to everyone. I will make donations to some important charities. I will give to the kind of charities that care of people who can’t take care of themselves. I will help foundations that work to protect our natural environment. I will give to organizations that keep history alive for future generations, whether by a landmark trust or a project in history education or research project or a historic restoration.
Finally, I will establish something that will be my unique contribution to the betterment of humanity and the world: the sabbatical foundation. To the best of my knowledge nothing like this exists - but it should.
My sabbatical foundation will be a foundation to make hopes and dreams real. It will give money to deserving people with promising ideas so that they will be able to take a sabbatical from that daily grind which keeps them from pursuing their dreams. The foundation will release individuals from everyday worries like their job or paying bills, for a year. The goal will be for these talented and creative persons to dedicate themselves completely to their vision, for a year. The goal of the foundation will be to unleash the potential of optimistic, motivated people who will strive to make the world a better place.
The funds will not be handed out indiscriminately, but will be targeted toward specific motivated and capable individuals with great ideas and a plan for achieving a goal. How these enlightened individuals will make the world a better place will vary tremendously, will be as diverse as the hopes and dreams of the people themselves.
The funds will not be handed over at once, but will, for one year, replace the wages the person will forgo in order to be devoted to his or her vision full time. Most of the time, the financial support will be equal to the wages that will be lost; In a few cases it might be necessary to provide a bit more to enable the freed spirit the economic ability to take action necessary for pursuit of the dream.
Maybe a couple of examples will be the best way to explain. Okay. A factory worker in Chicago, who is also an accomplished amateur accordion player, has always secretly dreamed of traveling the world, meeting people, and sharing different kinds of music with them. He has always believed that if he could bring people together by enabling them to share their musical ideas and traditions, they would be empowered to respect (and maybe even love) each other a little bit more. He knows if he could only reach out and touch his amateur musician counterparts, he could contribute a tiny bit to international understanding and world peace. But he has never been able to find the time or the money to do that. He has a wife and two children to support. He has no real prospect of ever being able to take a year off, nor of ever being able to afford the travel his dream would require. He applies to the sabbatical foundation and shares his ideas about bringing people from around the world together for a musical festival. The foundation agrees that his idea is worthwhile, so they replace the wages of the factory worker for one year while he works on making his dream a reality. Instead of going to work, he devotes himself to making connections with amateur musicians in Asia, Africa, and South America. He promotes his idea to those musicians, who will be his participants, and to others who will provide financing for the festival. In the end, the event happens. The world is a little better. The one-time factory worker turned musical event organizer can either return to his previous job, or if he can make a living at it, he can continue in his new career beyond the sabbatical year.
A mother of three who works full time in addition to taking care of her children has always wanted to write a novel about her early life experiences. The semi-autobiographical novel will address issues of rejection and acceptance, failure and fulfillment, and redemption. She has made some promising attempts, but with the extraordinary demands of work and home, she does not have the time she needs to research, write, and find a publisher. The sabbatical foundation replaces her work wages for a year, enabling her to devote time to her literary effort. At the end of the year, she might return to her ordinary life, more fulfilled for having written her masterpiece, or perhaps she will continue to earn a living as a professional writer.
Why would I want to give people a sabbatical? Couldn’t they just do these things themselves if they tried hard enough? The answer to that is, usually not. We all have only so many hours in each day, only so much energy to expend. When all that time and energy is expended on matters of survival, there is no time or energy left for the betterment of humanity.
Most ordinary people have great ideas, dreams of how they could help or inspire others. But most ordinary people don’t get the opportunity to pursue those dreams fully because they are chained to the demands of everyday life. The sabbatical foundation would enable a few – not all but a precious select few – to act on their dreams. When we have creative, committed, energetic people suddenly realizing a lifelong dream - suddenly free to do something great – Who knows what wonderful inventions or works of art or institutions or previously unknown acts for the betterment of humanity might emerge?
I want to do this for the good people who need to act on their passion, and for the benefit of all of us. I want to be responsible, myself, for opening the prison doors and letting them run free, for a time at least. I want the human spirit to soar to unexpected heights. Who knows to what wonderful places that flight might lead?
If anyone reading this has the means, and wants to take this idea and run with it, I won’t be upset if you do. In fact, I would be ecstatic. Please do it. And please tell me about it so I can watch with joy.
Gryphem
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