Neighborliness
This week we continued sharing with the Korean group from Nomad Village in the village, organizing body percussion workshops and a meditation space in PAS. We’re promoting the Karma Kitchen event taking place on Monday, organized by Espacio Ubuntu, where we invite neighbors and friends to dinner at the village restaurant. Upon arrival, the menu has no prices, and when they ask for the bill, it comes to 0 euros. We explain that someone contributed previously so that the experience can be repeated today, and we invite them to make a voluntary contribution if they enjoyed it, so that others can have access to it.
The most significant story happened over the weekend when they performed at a local restaurant and shared the stage with another artist who works in events and weddings. While he was setting up to start the performance, a guitar string broke, and one of the Koreans, without saying a word, took a string from his own guitar, gave it to the musician, and even re-strummed it. This small gesture moved this musician, and he shared this anecdote with the entire audience, who applauded them. These are the small gestures that matter, that don’t go unnoticed, that move us, that bring a smile to our faces, that give us hope, that give meaning to life, to our daily lives.
What you are looking for finds you.
Rumi.
When one dedicates oneself to serving, life serves one, or what you are looking for finds you, as Rumi would say. We have just been awarded European funding to set up a cooperative and to support investment. This is significant and promotes this legal structure, which encourages these types of social and solidarity economy initiatives, even though not all are non-profit entities, or prioritize social, cultural, or environmental impact above all profit or capital. This contribution will allow us to close the fiscal year in the black and allocate a portion to completing the school in Ghana, the international cooperation project we fund through our social enterprise.
I spent ten years waiting for the day I could establish a social enterprise in Spain, but along the way, I realized that since not all social enterprises are non-profit entities, it would be very difficult for them to have the same advantages (tax, hiring, financing, etc.) as a social and solidarity economy entity. That’s why we decided to create the cooperative in Cantabria.
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I still think they should create a dedicated support program for social enterprises, for those that Professor Yunus defines as social businesses, which are created to solve a problem, don’t distribute dividends, and reinvest 100% of their profits to generate a greater direct impact. While supporting cooperatives is very good, it would be ideal to also support this legal structure that already exists in countries like England, which doesn’t differentiate between cooperative members and employees, wouldn’t have limitations on hiring employees, and could be incentivized in public procurement over traditional companies that continue to do business the old-fashioned way.
Social businesses are companies created to solve problems… If we all believe in it, the darkness will disappear.
Muhammad Yunus
If companies distribute profits, from my point of view, it’s not the same; nothing changes. We continue doing business as we have for centuries. We all know companies that promote inequality, that don’t solve problems but create them, that have no red lines, that promote corruption, that sell themselves to the highest bidder. I understand that it’s fair and necessary to pay oneself a salary, and that the salaries of executives or business owners can be somewhat higher, but the moment profit is put first, the rules of the game remain the same.
I believe that the approach of social businesses is much more radical. It changes the rules of the game and focuses on impact over finances. Businesses aren’t run to make money; products or services are sold to generate social or environmental impact, to transform reality. Social businesses can achieve sustainability with an innovative or more traditional business model. They can grow at their own pace with funding or through sheer hard work, but they don’t sell out along the way, because purpose isn’t for sale. Not everything can be bought with money. Purpose is something to be enjoyed and to which one dedicates a lifetime, because being part of one of these initiatives gives life meaning.
What I want to say is that the world needs more genuine social enterprises, more people willing to take risks and sow seeds so that others can reap the harvest, more entrepreneurs willing to live differently — simpler or more austerely — corporate cultures that promote kinder, more coherent, and more harmonious lifestyles, more connected to nature, that foster generosity and kindness, that encourage slowing down to be more present, that are based on radical collaboration, that prioritize mental health, and that cultivate a culture of peace.
And you… Are you ready to work for or create a social enterprise?
