Yesterday, I had the good fortune of attending a lecture and book-signing by Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, most famous for the development of the concept of microcredit.
I had always been fascinated with his extreme trust in people, and his intense dedication to helping the poor with small loans and other such methods. His lecture made me think even more highly of him. And as I listened to him, it was surprising to see that many things he said coincided perfectly with the idea of karma yoga.
For example, when speaking about how he developed the idea of microcredit, he said:
“I wanted to do something to help even one person, for even just one day. I didn’t know how, but I wanted to.”
He seemed to even recognize the idea that his help may not be permanent, and still he has continued to look for a solution to help improve the lives of others.
Later in the lecture, he spoke about how society is structured such that it provides almost no opportunities for the poorer people to make anything of themselves. It isn’t important to go into the economic detail of what he said, but at one point, he said the following:
“Each human being is packed with potential, but our society is not yet capable of helping each person realize that potential…Society’s job is to help each person unwrap the gifts [talents] they have been carrying with them.”
What a Vedantic thought! Just as there is the analogy in the Bhagavad-Gita that our souls have simply been covered by layers of dust preventing the soul from shining through, Yunus is suggesting that perhaps society can be reshaped to help us clear this dust, and help us realize our potential.
Towards the end of his lecture, while talking about how many modern banks seem to fuel selfish motives, functioning to make the rich richer, Yunus said:
“I understand that every human being has selfishness inside of them; I also believe that every human being has selflessness inside of them.”
He continued on to talk about how social business encourages that selflessness, and gives it a way to shine through. I won’t go into details about his work in social business, but it is definitely something interesting and uplifting to read about.
In any case, it seems to be as though Yunus is really working selflessly to improve the lives of the less fortunate — while it may be presumptuous to classify him as an ideal karma yogi, it is definitely inspiring to see that there are people who have dedicated their lives to such purposes. And even more inspiring to see that he has had success in making a difference!
He ended his lecture with a thought-provoking quote:
“If you have not touched any one person’s life, why should anyone remember you?”
Keeping this in mind, I know that at least I am inspired by the fact that in today’s world, such dedication still exists.
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One Comment
I really like this post.
And I also like social entrepreneurship — it services social issues without compromising the incentives that drive people to build institutions like Grameen Bank.
After seeing and hearing and reading about how we should work selflessly and serve others, it is immensely fulfilling to find people who strive to embody these principles.
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