What keeps the corporate universe grounded? Rather, WHO are the ones that put others before themselves? These individuals put morality at the top of their list and keep "stepping on others" at the very bottom. Such gift economies operate in a similar fashion. I believe these organizations are the ones that keep the "business" world afloat. It seems that in this fast paced twenty-first century, everyone is only looking out for themselves; they are looking to get ahead and make money doing it. On another note, more recently than not, it seems that making money in order to support oneself is not enough, greed has sank into the very essence of who we are and 'always wanting more' is a thought that comes just as natural as tying our shoes in the morning. Recently I have become involved in an on-campus group called B.A.S.I.C. (Brothers And Sisters In Christ). This is a perfect example of a gift economy because "…there is an expectation either of reciprocation…or of the gift being passed on in some other manner" (Wikipedia, 2007).
B.A.S.I.C. is a Christian fellowship group that promotes that you can have the best of both worlds, keeping up with your Christian faith while being a college student. While strolling along the spine after my last class on a Friday afternoon I came across a flyer that said, "Want to go ice-skating? B.A.S.I.C. will pickup at the Student Union at 6:30pm Friday night." I told my friends about it and we were all for going ice-skating so we piled into this van and off we went. While on the ride and throughout the night, I learned what exactly B.A.S.I.C. was, what they stood for, and what they promoted. They said that sometimes college students get wrapped up in the college lifestyle of partying and being lazy but they believed that the solution to problems lie in the hands of Christ. They meet once a week on Monday nights and talk about anything that is bothering them or things that are going well in their lives. Essentially, the University at Buffalo Student Affairs team states that, "B.A.S.I.C is a regional ( New York and Mid-Atlantic areas) ministry that forms unique partnerships with local churches in an effort to reach college students for Christ." While enquiring how the group was funded, they let me know that a local church sponsored them and all of the activities they participate in throughout the school year. Usually every couple weeks, the group will go on fun activities such as the ice-skating adventure which brings them closer together. Also, they meet every Sunday for mass at the church they are funded out of and they have pickups at the Student Union and Goodyear Hall on South Campus. They were eager to spread the news and open people's eyes to the fact that you do not have to forget about Christ when you are away from home.
B.A.S.I.C. is a Christian fellowship group that promotes that you can have the best of both worlds, keeping up with your Christian faith while being a college student. While strolling along the spine after my last class on a Friday afternoon I came across a flyer that said, "Want to go ice-skating? B.A.S.I.C. will pickup at the Student Union at 6:30pm Friday night." I told my friends about it and we were all for going ice-skating so we piled into this van and off we went. While on the ride and throughout the night, I learned what exactly B.A.S.I.C. was, what they stood for, and what they promoted. They said that sometimes college students get wrapped up in the college lifestyle of partying and being lazy but they believed that the solution to problems lie in the hands of Christ. They meet once a week on Monday nights and talk about anything that is bothering them or things that are going well in their lives. Essentially, the University at Buffalo Student Affairs team states that, "B.A.S.I.C is a regional ( New York and Mid-Atlantic areas) ministry that forms unique partnerships with local churches in an effort to reach college students for Christ." While enquiring how the group was funded, they let me know that a local church sponsored them and all of the activities they participate in throughout the school year. Usually every couple weeks, the group will go on fun activities such as the ice-skating adventure which brings them closer together. Also, they meet every Sunday for mass at the church they are funded out of and they have pickups at the Student Union and Goodyear Hall on South Campus. They were eager to spread the news and open people's eyes to the fact that you do not have to forget about Christ when you are away from home.
Peter Kollock (1999) writes "One possibility is that a person is motivated to contribute valuable information to the group in the expectation that one will receive useful help and information in return; that is, the motivation is an anticipated reciprocity." B.A.S.I.C. is a group that feeds off each other, in a good way. This gift economy gives goods and services in return for the hope of long-lasting friendships and a strong faith in Christ. The church funds this specific on-campus group in the hopes that they will find others who will be led to the word of God.
"The sign of excellence in a new world of the larger self is not vast profit or possessions, but sufficient material success to allow large and thoughtful contributions to society" (Pinchot, 1995). Organizations such as gift economies promote this very statement. They have belief that by giving back to society, society will somewhere down the road, help them out in their times of trouble.
References
Gift economy. (2007, February 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:24, February 7, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gift_economy&oldid=105681971
Kollock, P., (1999). The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm
Pinchot, G., (1995). The Gift Economy. Context Institute. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm
Student Affairs- University at Buffalo. (2006, April 12). Religious Organizations and Clubs. University at Buffalo. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from
http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/directory/religion.shtml
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