At birth, we are all tiny, ignorant, and helpless. If we’re lucky, we grow, we learn, and we gain independence. If we are really lucky and work hard, we grow stronger, gain wisdom, and live long enough to make a difference in the world.
Universal human experience and piles of psychological research indicate that the unfolding of the life cycle from infancy through childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age typically involves passages through several stages. Abraham Maslow described the stages of human need, from survival to security to belonging to ego expression to integrity and meaning. Several students of moral development have traced the journey from total absorption with self to concern for immediate reference groups like family and tribe to universal empathy and compassion for all people, all animals, and the planetary natural environment. At Our Better Angels, we just call these stages Me, Us, and Everybody.
Our Better Angels tries to reflect those natural stages of human development and respond to the human needs for individual satisfaction, tribal-national welfare, and universal compassion. We do that by supporting, promoting, and celebrating good people, good works, and good causes of all sorts. We build bridges linking all our Good Causes in a global network of perpetual and reciprocal crowd funding.
Thanks to our affiliation with the Wisconsin Leadership Institute, Our Better Angels is also devoted to developing effective and ethical leadership skills and values for the long-term future. Thus we especially welcome young people who want to develop their skills and values while learning about the nature and functions of philanthropy in the global economy. We call them Herald Angels and we help them help us help others through social media, educational video, Speakers’ Circle presentations, and special events.