Potlatch Manifesto
Potlatch is a Chinook word that can be used as both noun and verb according to Merriam-Webster, and refers to:
a ceremonial feast of the American Indians of the northwest coast marked by the host's lavish distribution of gifts or sometimes destruction of property to demonstrate wealth and generosity with the expectation of eventual reciprocation
Perhaps my manifesto here is an act of cultural theft. If so, it isn't lacking in irony. I am probably guilty of stealing both the idea and word for a ceremony of giving things away. There are probably worse things that one can steal.
Over the last year I've experienced a lot of personal growth and gained clarity about my life purpose. I wasn't really looking for this and in fact I'd mostly given up all hope of ever finding it. This is in contrast to my 20s and early 30s when I was more intently seeking but unsatisfied with what I found. A provisional lesson I'm considering is: When you're lost and can't find your way, stop looking and hunker down until your way finds you.
The exact causes of my transformation are only vaguely apparent. They involve themes of suicide and metamorphosis. Last July a friend disappeared and we thought he had killed himself. Another friend threatened suicide and I worried for both of them. They made it through their crises, but in August I got news of an old friend who didn't. That tore me open and left me in a very raw state. As I stayed with my deep grief, it began to clarify my life and take on the role of teacher.
In April this year I took a new job with Radical Honesty Enterprises which has been one of the more visible parts of my metamorphosis. At the end of this month I'm shedding my skin yet again as I move from my home of the last six years. I'm grateful to have an opportunity to celebrate these changes and also to reflect on the lessons I've learned. So before I move I'm going to throw a kind of potlatch (bastardized of course, since it's a stolen idea) and I intend to give away almost everything I own. Part of the purpose of this blog is to explain why. But there's at least two meanings to the title. I'd like to also create a potlatch manifesto where other people are free to give away their ideas about how I might best do this.
I've been working on a life purpose statement as part of my radical honesty work and it has gone through a number of different phases. In one version I considered that part of my purpose is to create a world of gift economies that value sharing over having. While that full statement was too long and hard to convey, I still consider the idea of gift economy to be a part of my purpose. My current working life purpose statement is a bit broader:
My life's purpose is to create harmony by bringing opposites into concordance so that our differences become a source of strength.
This vision feels truest to who I really am. Though I don't particularly believe in astrology, there's some relationship to the scales of Libra (my sun sign) and the scales of Justice that also fits with my purpose. Over the years I've had various experiences of discord between different groups of friends. If I can (mostly) see eye to eye with all of them, why can't they see eye to eye with each other? I believe that I have a calling to mediation.
I've been contemplating whether this giveaway is a good idea for a while now. Prior to that, I'd considered just selling my most valuable and cumbersome possessions so that I didn't have to move them--"liquidating my assets" as they say. They've mostly become a burden. One night not long ago as I was drifting off to sleep I had a sudden insight that perhaps a purpose of the giveaway traditions in native cultures is because ownership creates an unhealthy attachment in our minds and is a burden best shared with others over time. In this vision, the person receiving is the one who is really being of service to the giver. I like the idea that sometimes giving is a greedy act and receiving can be a selfless act. Perhaps my potlatch is all just an elaborate ruse to trick my friends into helping me move? From one perspective, that's absolutely true. I'm not doing this because I'm wholly generous but also because I'm greedy.
The word sacrifice is related to sacred and this is also a spiritual act for me (though this is not a creed and requires no faith). While contemplating this I followed some references in Wikipedia's entry for potlatch and read Heads and Tails: Money as a Poison Center which I found fascinating. In particular this caught my eye (emphasis added):
The money poison containers themselves were, of course, both sacred and tubu - in New Britain, their shell-money was even called tambu since that which is sacred always contains that which is dangerous and tabu.
Janis Joplin once sang Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose and I've always liked that line. I'm trading most of my possessions for a greater measure of freedom to pursue my purpose. On this subject I'm also very inspired by the teachings of the Buddha and writings of Henry David Thoreau and Suelo.
Of course I'm keeping a few things which are mostly driven by practical considerations. My computer is still vital to my work. So are a few books I want to read. Some of my clothes and camping equipment will be necessary for survival. And a bed to sleep in (though smaller and more portable than the one I have now). I also have some sentimental items and gifts that would be difficult to give away.
There are two challenges to implementation of my potlatch idea:
1) A couple items are relatively high value and may be coveted (e.g. entertainment system with 46" flat screen TV, Xbox, DVD player). If I just give them to the first person that asks, I may create discord and envy which is the opposite of my intention. I wonder how this is handled in traditional cultures? This problem exists with smaller items too and if there's competing interests I'll ask people to commit to sharing those items where possible.
2) Many items won't find a home and after the potlatch, I expect to have at least half an apartment worth of stuff that I'll need to find another way to dispose of. I imagine there's a charity that will take the rest for sale in a thrift shop (ARC, Goodwill etc).
I've considered doing the entire event as a charity fundraiser. I've considered the potential to raise money to benefit the homeless and mentally ill of Denver, or to help save wildlife at risk in the Gulf of Mexico. If I go this route I might decide to raffle or auction off the more desirable items. Possibly I can find a charity that would benefit from the big screen TV and just give it away.
I hesitate to involve money in the potlatch however. In his book Predictably Irrational Dan Ariely talks about the difference between market norms and social norms. Introducing money into the potlatch celebration imperils the underlying social value I'm really after. I do note that some of the traditional potlatch celebrations did involve a kind of copper money being given away (or destroyed). It wouldn't be completely without precedent.
So my current thought is to donate the most valuable items or sell them ahead of time and donate the money. The remaining furniture, books, plants and fixtures go the first taker at the potlatch. My friend Larry gave me the idea to invite guests to also bring a few things to give away if they wish so they can also take part in the experiment.
Of all the seeming opposites that I seek to harmonize, the most challenging is conflict vs. harmony itself. This could be re-phrased as competition vs. cooperation. In the Gift Economy and potlatch cultures I see a way to cooperate competitively and compete cooperatively.
Mike Lewinski
Denver, Colorado
July 5, 2010
