I can’t stop thinking about the principles and ideas I was exposed to through Muhammad Yunus' commencement address at BYU. I have taken several economics classes and have studied the principles and theories of many different economists but none that I am aware of have the humanitarian vision of Mr. Yunus. He has made it his life's work to eradicate poverty from the earth and has gone about it in a way that no one else before him had. He isn't running from country to country supporting socialism and the redistribution of wealth nor is he developing an elaborate charity that simply hands out money, food, and clothes. Instead he created a micro-lending bank that gives loans to impoverished people, empowering them to pull themselves from poverty.
As I read his words, everything he was saying rang perfectly true to me. One quote in particular will stick with me forever: "If we are not achieving something, my first suspicion will fall on the intensity of our desire to achieve it." Man that is powerful to me. His example was that we went to the moon. For goodness sake if we can put a guy on the moon can't we reduce poverty rates? Certainly. We just haven't put enough passion and resources behind making it happen.
I would love to be able to find an opportunity to supply a need to people that would give them the tools to change their situation. I think running a business with the sole purpose of improving the human condition really resonates with millions of people, making them likely to participate in or buy a product or service. That kind of story will trump a profit-driven business any day. If someone has an idea of a way to put something like this into action, I'm all ears. Until then, I'm searching for that opportunity.
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