Rewarding Behaviour Read online

  I

  “…Cogito ergo sum” – René Descartes.

  Context is everything. I am a middle-aged, white, British male. I’ve visited the US and several European countries. I’ve enjoyed (other than for fleeting moments) all of Maslow’s basic needs. I was state educated up to the age of 17, then spent 6 years becoming and being a British Army Officer. I retired at 23 and have since had numerous micro-careers. In lots of interesting sectors. I am happily married and a proud father of 4 children. I’m fortunate to have received a good education and been born in a wealthy, secure country. I feel incredibly privileged.

  Everything I say must be viewed through the lens of me.

  Motivation

  “There are only two forces that unite men – fear and [self] interest.” – Napoleon.

  In this proposal, I explore interest. Self-interest.

  (Fear, according to Napoleon, is the driving force of revolution. So I’m happy to avoid it. Revolutions put crowns on new clowns.)

  We are motivated by self-interest – in which I include providing for close family members. We want the best possible provisions for our needs. And we want to stimulate our minds and senses. As much as possible. The mainstream way to achieve this is through money. Money lets us buy things we want.

  But money is incapable of targeting non-financial goals such as improving social wellbeing. To motivate people to do good, we need something that specifically rewards such behaviour.

  Money

  “Money often costs too much.” – Ralph Emerson.

  For centuries, money has been an incredibly efficient way to organise complex human society. But the time has come for a system to offset the negative impacts of money. Think of it like fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have taken us through the industrial age – from American Independence to the first man on the moon. Fossil fuels, though we are still addicted to them, have reached a similar crisis point to that of money. We are at (or have possibly passed) the point where fossil fuels do us more harm than good. We must switch to better, cleaner energy sources. Likewise, we must begin the move to a healthier reward system.

  The great strength of money is its transferability. The effort of one person’s work can be transferred through a complex system, offering endless positive outcomes for holders of this currency. But, like many great ideas, it’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. The transferability of money makes it something that can be exploited.

  The needs to transfer, store and increase monetary wealth turns money into a commodity. Those who deal in this commodity siphon off huge amounts as reward for their marshalling. The sometimes stratospheric level of monetary reward for these marshals is justified by the economic paradigm they have sculpted. They are a fiscal aristocracy – claiming, like their blue-blooded ancestors, their expertise in managing the status quo justifies their extreme wealth. (They also believe that the ignorant, ignoble poor deserve petty reward in return for their [enforced] absence from the corridors of power.)

  But money, marvellous as it has been as a means of reward and facilitating exchange, is no longer exclusively capable of delivering the best, long-term interests of the majority of the population. Money is The Wizard of Oz, the greenbacked man pulling strings behind the fiery visage we know as democratic capitalism. (Which, under critical analysis reveals, itself to be neither entirely democratic nor entirely capitalistic.)

  Smiles

  “You’ll find that life is still worthwhile… if you just Smile.” – Nat King Cole (comp. Charlie Chaplin).

  Although cheesy, what better reward than a Smile? Almost globally, the smile is recognised as a means of showing appreciation.

  Smiles cannot be passed-on or hoarded. The Smile instantly rewards the benefactor. Its transient nature is not seen as a weakness. It is part of its worth.

  Society

  “…there’s no such thing as society.” – Margaret Thatcher

  In 1987, when Margaret Thatcher said this, I completely disagreed. I’d grown up in a South Wales cobweb of positive social interactions. When I heard it, I was living in the North of England where coal miners were fighting for their jobs and communities.

  Ten years later, working in advertising in London’s Soho, Thatcher’s words rang truer. Most of the people I interacted with had no knowledge of pre-Thatcher Britain. Or poorer areas outside the South East of England. They were focussed on their own lives and financial rewards. There wasn’t much sign of the broad social supportiveness I’d benefitted from during childhood.

  Thatcher was right. But only because she, and fellow neoliberals, had made things that way. For them The Market was king. A monetary monarchy.

  It’s time for fiscal revolution. We must overthrow the careless dictator. Better reward people who do social good, and we’ll build healthier societies.

  The Market

  “The … market is filled with individuals who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” – Philip Fisher.

  The Market is the free market system promoted by neoliberals. According to this system, prices are set by supply and demand. Something that is wanted but in limited supply will attract a high price. The opposite is true for items that are readily available – particularly if demand is low.

  Neoliberals insist that the market should be free of institutional interference. The reality of Western capitalism is far different.

  Afterwords

  Please let me know what you think of this proposal. Future changes will be shaped by your suggestions. If you want to be kept up-to-date with revisions, remember to let me know in your feedback email to [email protected].

  Index

  Introduction

  Rewarding Behaviour

  I

  Motivation

  Money

  Smiles

  Society

  The Market

  Afterwords

  Version

  This first version of Rewarding Behaviour was published on 27th June 2016.

  Contributors

  Version 1:Me, myself and I.