EDWARD DE BONO'S MESSAGE
9th February 1997

CONTRIBUTION

There are people who seem to say: "I exist. Therefore the world owes me attention, importance, food, shelter, information, education and health care."

There is an Australian joke: "How can you tell when a plane load of British immigrants has arrived?" The answer: "Because the plane is still whining after the engines have been switched off." Rightly or wrongly, the 'whingeing Pom' is an Australian stereotype.

Of course, it can always be argued that all complainrs and criticism are really constructive. They are a way of trying to make things better. Such criticisms point out the faults so that 'they' can make things better. In practice this is rather rarely the case. The complainer wants attention, wants to be noticed, wants to express anger, wants to show superiority and wants to be given something.

In a street full of refuse, if you pick up just one tiny piece of paper that is a contribution. There may not be much difference to the street but there is a big difference to you. The habit of contribution is much more rare than the habit of complaint. Complaint means that some other person, or authority, must do something to put things right for you. It is enough that you should complain.

Of course there is a role for complaint as one of the checks and balances of society. There is a need to point out problems, defects and excesses.

Although I am now 'complaining' about 'complaints', my preference is for contribution. How can we contribute, construct and build? Over the years I have come to know that there are many people who share this view. Such peole are rarely as visible as the complainers. If someone agrees with you that person rarely says so because agreement seems so obvious that it does not need saying. If someone disagrees they rush to object with the full emotion of that disagreement.

It would be interesting to set up a TCC (Tiny Contribution Club) where people exchanged and recorded tiny contributions to the world around them. A school in the USA started the excellent idea of 'Random Acts of Kindness' to match the frequently publised 'Random Acts of Violence'. This seemed to me to be an excellent idea. I hope it is still going strong.

The whole idea behind the Edward de Bono Creative Team^TM is to provide a mechanism through which people could contribute their creative ideas. Thinking does not cost anything - only time, motivation and effort.

Why should there be a subscription to join Team? This is intended as an expression of motivation. Many people declare themselves to be motivated but are not prepared to do much about it. If someone communicates with me and says that he or she would really like to join the team but cannot afford the minimum $10, then I shall assess that motivation and that need. Suggest some other way in which your motivation can be expressed.

Those who are interested in the whole structure of contribution should read my book: "Handbook for the Positive Revolution"(Penguin Books). This lays out suggestions as to how change can happen through constructive contribution and not just through attack.

Edward de Bono