Trading It Forward

In 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody."[2] Emerson eloquent words have been echoed in The Pay it Forward Movement we have seen flourish in the last 20 years. The idea of creating a community of transferred good deeds where the benefactor is always somebody new is beautifully simple and simply beautiful but in our hustle and bustle we sometimes neglect such beauty and the simple act of giving slips away into our daily grind. I am proud to say I am working for the New Frontiers School Board and they have become a proponent of the "deed for deed" concept adopting the idea to champion community development through shared education and trade. The catch phrase is: Trading it Forward.

NFSB Trading it Forward

On their NFSB's web site, the Trading it Forward idea is introduced with two simple statements. "Use your trade or skills to do something good." and, "Invite the person you helped to do the same." There is a page where people state how they were able to share their skill or trade. Another page indicates there is a contest where people vote on a person and the top three win a small monetary award. These additions to the simple idea of "deed for deed" are added to celebrate and promote communal growth by simply giving back. 

Modesty and selflessness is often a quality within the act of giving. Thanks, is provided with a handshake or a hug. Shake or hug away but recognize that deed. I understand some possible TIF candidates would either refuse to challenge another to trade it forward or put their act on a website. They might think it would negate the generous act or they might even think what they have contributed was not really worth the recognition. So recognize it! Ask them if you can nominate them. Tell them that it was worth it to you! And if they don't challenge you, you trade it forward. Challenge yourself! 

We have multiple ways we think, multiple ways we share what we think, and multiple ways we give. My mechanic brother is constantly giving me car advice, showing me intricate details of the motor, or doing some simple fix-its on my car. My artistic friend takes the time to show me shading techniques while we sketch together. My green thumbed friend shakes her head at me while helping me distinguish the difference between weeds and actual plants I want to grow in my garden. The multiplicity of thoughts and creative actions vibrate through a community in many ways creating a tapestry of amazing projects enriching so many lives. Celebrate this! Celebrate those little actions by sharing your multiplicity of thought with some action.  

“You don’t pay love back; you pay it forward.”[1] This is a quote from Lily Hardy Hammond’s, In the Garden of Delight. Ms. Hammond has been cited as coining the phrase “pay it forward.” The novel was published almost a hundred years ago but the words still resonate with a powerful message. So whether you add your picture to NFSB’s website or add the gracious act of your neighbour, embrace Ms. Hammond’s words and celebrate love. Trading it forward is about sharing love for neighbour, love for community, and even love for self by embracing your enriching contribution to the positive growth with in our world. So Trade, teach, pay it forward in your own special way and maybe urge someone else to do the same. If you want please come and share you experience with us. 

1.  Hammond, Lily Hardy (1916). In The Garden of Delight. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. p. 209. 
2. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Compensation, 1841, Text of Emerson essays