eBay Creator Pierre Omidyar on Service and Changing the World
June 17th, 2008 by admin
Several years ago Pierre Omidyar, the creator of eBay, wrote a couple of posts I found interesting. This blog is about replicating the mindset of people who succeeded in a major way and these two blog posts provide an interesting commentary on service and generosity.
From “What I’ve Been Up To“:
In talking about eBay over the past few years, I’ve emphasized the way eBay has helped people pursue their individual passions and discover their own power to make good things happen; how they’ve become empowered by participating in an open and honest marketplace, in a level playing field, meeting and working/trading with people who share their interests.
When I first learned about Meetup, I saw much of the same thing at work, though quite different on the surface: people discovering their own power, and connecting with others to realize that power to make good things happen.
Ever since eBay, I’ve been inspired by people discovering their own power, and believed that every individual can make a difference.
From “Athens and American Democracy“:
Brian O’Connell quotes historian Edward Gibbon on the fall of Athenian democracy:
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security.
They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all — security, comfort and freedom…
When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society, but for society to give to them…
When the freedom they wished for most — was freedom from responsibility…
Then, Athens ceased to be free.
What was true for Athens in its day could be true in ours. Unless we are vigilant; unless we strive to understand and nurture our civil society. And unless we continue to stand up as individuals for what we believe in, establish trust with others, and make things happen.
Brian O’Connell, John Gardner, and many others have worked nearly their entire lives trying to help us understand this. Despite our challenges, today I’m optimistic. The Internet has given us an infrastructure to connect people, to enable the formation of trusting relationships and voluntary associations — for the first time, even across national borders. As individuals, we now have the potential to make an unprecedented impact.
- Posted in Uncategorized
