"A building's strength depends on its foundations, not on the fancy equipment in the penthouse.”
If you want to enjoy a long life, keep reading this column; you won’t regret it.
LOVE & HAPPINESS
Before I learned about smallholders and developing economies, I knew one farmer very well; I knew his colleagues and their dreams.
The farmer was me, and my friends and I shared the dreams of doing what we love (agriculture) and improving our livelihoods while striving for Happiness.
By the way, those dreams are ordinary, not unique to us or farmers; they are shared by many and are universal.
You may think that impoverished farmers only dream of having enough food, but that is not the case; like you and me, they dream of doing what they love, improving their livelihood, and enjoying Happiness.
How do I know this?
I asked them.
*** Don’t miss the Black Friday Offer at the end of the column ***
LIFE
In previous columns, we established the link between community characteristics (i.e., shared values, organization, cooperation, integration, etc.) and its Success and resilience.
We reached this conclusion using a multi-discipline approach (i.e., religion, physics, evolution, and social sciences) to validate this hypothesis.
Why should we care about organizations' and communities' Success when our genuine interest is in people's Happiness?
This is a valid and fair question.
We are obsessed with organizations’ and communities’ Success because people live in communities, and people’s Happiness is directly related to their community's Success.
Organizations strive for Success as people strive for Happiness. Here is how Dr. Adizes defines Success, and I took the liberty to add Happiness.
Organizational Success and Personal Happiness is a balance of all the subsystems (PAEI) that comprise us: physical (P), intellectual (A), emotional (E), and social/spiritual (I).
Dr. Adizes stresses the unbreakable link between the ME and the WE.
“At the top, is the negating of oneself, the taking of oneself out of the equation, seeing oneself as part of the totality of humanity and thus as a part of something bigger than oneself. The need is not only for self-actualization, but for a sense of being part of something bigger than oneself.” source.
The Israeli Kibbutz is a rural community that answers that definition of Success and Happiness better than any other.
By the way, the meaning of the word Kibbutz is a – Grouping or Gathering
Think of it: people who founded the Kibbutz view themselves as part of a group, a group that is more significant than the individual from the start.
Now, it is easier to understand why Kibbutz members have a sense of belonging and being part of something bigger than themselves.
In communities that share values and practice cooperation and integration, the sense of belonging grows, not diminishes, when facing challenges.
Therefore, coping with challenges, even those set by the community or its leaders, is essential for maintaining the individual sense of belonging and being part of something bigger than itself.
A nation is an organization that contains many individuals, and its Success and its people's Happiness can be measured, for example, by the Happiness Index and life expectancy.
The Happiness Index is measured per country, which enables us to compare countries but not the Success or Happiness of rural versus urban communities.
To compare the Success and Happiness of rural versus urban communities, we will use the indirect measure of ‘life expectancy’.
The table below presents the data on Happiness and life expectancy for several countries.
In addition to presenting the case of countries that represent that of many others, the table shows data on Israel and the Kibbutz (i.e., rural) because those are abnormal.
Often, the exceptional can teach us more than the norm about cause and effect, as with Happiness and life expectancy, when looking at Israel and the Kibbutz.
Israel, a small country, is known for its high internal connectivity and cooperation (internal integration) and receives a high Happiness ranking (9th).
How can we explain Israel's ranking 9th in the Happiness Index, ahead of bigger, calmer, safer, quieter, and economically prosperous countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Canada, and the USA, without considering internal social integration? Any spiritual leader knows that Happiness is the result of internal integration.
The second thing we should note is that globally, the common norm is that rural communities' life expectancy is lower than that of urban.
Yet, in Israel, the rural Kibbutz communities’ life expectancy is much higher than that of the Israeli urban.
Kibbutz communities highly differ from other rural communities worldwide not by access to technologies, healthcare, land quality, or other technical attributes (although they do well in those issues, though probably not better than EU and US farmers), but they differ by their community life attitude which is based on shared values, cooperation, integration, etc.
Community/organization values, which promote cooperation, integration, and specific order, persistently contribute to community Success and a higher level of personal Happiness.
From many aspects, being part of a community based on shared values of cooperation pays off.
LE - Life Expectancy. LE retreated from multiple sources and vary in years. The rural LE of Israel is that of the Kibbutz. Source of Happiness Index.
CRITICAL CLARIFICATIONS
Following readers’ feedback and questions, I wish to clarify and emphasize a few critical issues.
Before that, let’s have a short recap of what brought us to talk about values, communities, cooperation, and other staff that may look unrelated to the core interest of agro-business people.
RECAP
After realizing that our efforts to elevate smallholders were all in vain, and for decades, we failed to see the progress expected.
We then went on a quest for a better and more trusted method to design and predict programs and projects to improve smallholders' livelihoods in developing economies.
Our first big step forward was realizing that we are using unreliable prediction methods to design and predict programs’ results, i.e., based on Trial and Error or Patterns.
We then saw that we could improve programs and project predictions and results using Theoretical Models, as the US did when sending people to the Moon. For example, the community model (i.e., city, village, Kibbutz) provides a good prediction of how it should be designed and the expected outcome.
Most importantly, we learned that programs designed based on Universal Natural Laws (Laws) provide the most trusted predictions for their outcomes and results.
Looking for the most reliable, tested, and working method to shift smallholders in developing economies from poverty to prosperity, we searched for a Law that could help us achieve this.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics, particularly in its social form formulated by Dr. Adizes - The Success Law, can serve as a base for the desired change.
We then studied the several types of communities, which are successful in numerous aspects, which brought us to recognize the uniqueness of the Israeli Kibbutz and Moshav communities and study them more intensively.
We saw that even if unintended, those communities were founded on the principles of the Law of Success, i.e., The Second Law of Thermodynamics.
We then dug deeper into the relevant social principles enabling Israel's rural communities to succeed despite extreme challenges.
We concluded that the roots of rural communities' Success are in non-tangible matters, those we can’t see.
We realized that like a group of atoms that form a shape by unseen (strong) forces, the unseen force of values shapes the most Successful human rural communities. In turn, Successful communities create Happiness in their individuals.
Successful communities are founded on unseen forces that include - Shared Values, Trust, Order, Collaboration, and Integration.
You can find those terms practiced and immersed in large doses into the daily lives of the Kibbutz and Moshav.
CLARIFICATIONS
Global Principles: Kibbutz and Moshav are “Made in Israel products”. Still, the principles upon which they were established and succeeded are global, based on Universal Natural Law, and hence can be adopted and implemented in any country, industry, and organization with the same Success.
Like gravity, Universal Natural Laws are the property of no one and offer the same for anyone who dares to use them.
Localized & Adaptation: While I emphasize the need to use the universal principle Laws that enabled the Israeli rural community to succeed, it is essential to note that other elements, such as culture, habits, environment, etc., are not part of it.
In applying the principles discussed, it is imperative not to use a copy-paste attitude but to make necessary adjustments (localization) per the local culture and its characteristics.
Many Ways To Fail: The Anna Karenina principle says that - there are a limited number of ways to achieve a functioning system or a desired result, while the ways to fail in achieving the goal are many, varied, and depend on many factors.
While failure is part of life, it is wise not to try reinventing the wheel but to use experts and those with experience to perform such dramatic changes, as suggested here.
I encourage you to change, but remember the Anna Karenina principle when attempting to practice the principles learned above.
As we get older, we learn that there are more ways to fail than we imagine. If you intend to perform such a transformation, do it only in cooperation with those experienced in the field.
Foundation: Technology is the icing on the cake, the penthouse at the top of the tower; it is visible and valuable for enhancing efficiency and productivity but is far from being the primary reason for Success in agriculture or any other sector.
Rural community success results from solid and deep foundations, which, though hidden from view, are responsible for the tangible results of Success, in its whole meaning, Happiness, and an even healthier and longer life.
To live longer and happier years, be part of a Successful community.
The foundation for a Successful community is shared values, cooperation, and high integration to achieve the goals in light of the community's values.
IBMA
The IBMA 2024 conference (March 25-28, 2024) theme is - Reorganizing The Agro Sector: Building Organized Prosperous Communities.
In light of our discussions here, the IBMA conference is second to none to change the course of your business, community, and national agro sector. You will regret it if you miss it.
Register now before it's too late.
Especially for you, I arranged this Black Friday Offer (though you should attend it anyhow) -
Attend the IBMA, and I promise that you will never regret it but will have the time of your life and be able to improve the lives of many others.
You will never have a better time to create your legacy based on a profitable business model AND improve other people's lives. Message me for agro-business impact - nisraely@biofeed.co.il WhatsApp +972-542523425
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE
Ø UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS: The Success of Israeli rural communities is based on universal natural laws applicable globally.
Ø ADAPTATION IS KEY: While applying success principles, local adaptation to culture and environment is crucial for effectiveness.
Ø ANNA KARENINA PRINCIPLE: Success has limited paths, but failure in applying principles can be diverse and context-dependent.
Ø FOUNDATION OF SUCCESS: Technology is visible but not the primary driver; Success lies in shared values, cooperation, and integration.
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More on the October 7th genocide in South Israel:
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*** Mental and Economic Freedom Are Interconnected. ***
See you soon,
Nimrod
Dr. Nimrod Israely is the CEO and Founder of Dream Valley and Biofeed companies and the Chairman and Co-founder of the IBMA conference. +972-54-2523425 (WhatsApp), or email nisraely@biofeed.co.il
P.S.
If you missed it, here is a link to last week's blog, “What Can't We See But Is Responsible For Our Existence and Prosperity?”
P.P.S.
Dream Valley is a field-proven disruptive business model based on the successful Israeli model.
To learn more and become a Dream Valley partner, contact me at nisraely@biofeed.co.il, +972-542523425 (WhatsApp/Text)
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Change Begins With A Decision
That The Existing Reality Is A Choice
and Not A Decree of Fate