PayItForwardCrossing

Yet another 3am ramble. An hour when world-nudging delusions can actually get the edge over "omg this is SO OPRAH" cynicism.

The inspiration: zenhabits on bringing people closer.
The pitch: Pay it Forward concept breeds with BookCrossing technology.

PIF is a kindness pyramid scheme where A does a good deed for B, who pays the favour forward to 3 other people, who each pay it forward to 3 more, and so forth. BookCrossing is where people leave used books in public places, with a code and URL stuck in it. Whoever finds it can log in on the site and enter the code, then passes the book on, so you can track the progress of the book across the world.

So to merge these: a way of tracking good deeds. When you do something good for someone, give them a Post-It with "record your good deeds at payitforwardtracker.com" on it. The recipient of the favour registers what was done for them, and what they have done for others. They too give Post-Its to their recipients. Thus, theoretically, you get a map of the spread of good deeds and a community of altruists.

I can already see flaws in it actually, because the people most in need of good deeds, the disadvantaged, may not have internet access. Hmmmm. Maybe it could be entirely internet-based good deeds such as...I dunno, designing a graphic for free, or buying someone one of their Amazon wishlist items (nah, too consumerist) or mailing them stuff they can't buy from their own countries. Maybe it could be set up in an existing web community. Maybe the "act of kindness" needs to be a specific act - what is a universal good deed?

Come to think of it, the Jerry library is a pay-it-forward scheme and an idea with potential I reckons. Tis simple - each borrower mails the library set to the next. The key elements are:

• A "good" that is scarce and valuable, but not priceless. Here the content of the library DVDs was rare, but the physical DVDs themselves don't cost much and are easily replaced.
  
• Decentralisation and self-sustaining. There are 3 sets of DVDs (two US, one Australasia), each with their own list. The admin only has to add new people to the list and borrowers contact each other for address details. The system relies on the next borrower harassing the previous person to hurry up and send the thing.
  
• A small "paying forward" burden. I've probably spent less than $50 setting up the entire thing, and each person probably spends less than $10.

Now how to extend this idea to something slightly less obscure? The "good" needn't be something physical, but c'mon, snail mail is fun to receive. Stamps and envelopes are so retro!

Food for thought.

Oy, this blog was meant to be a place to forge (ha! double entendre) my identity as a student doctor, but it seems there aren't that many opportunities in med for these Giant Harebrained Ideas I seem to like. Or maybe I just haven't looked hard enough. We had CPR training this week and the guy showed us some horrible comparative stats on how many Aussies vs Seattle folk survive cardiac arrests. We suck. It was something like 7% vs 70% (don't quote me on that). The dude attributes that to the lack of CPR training and defibs here. If true, that is DUH. CPR is so easy. Here, go learn it. Hey, maybe the Thing That Is Passed Forward could be "teach someone" so it'd be a pyramid scheme of knowledge. It worked for Christianity, why not CPR! "Teach it forwards".

Yknow what this sounds like? Public Health. Is that where this is leading? P-values and policy-making?! eeep. Maybe should've stayed awake in Health Economics lectures this week. Reminder to self: write about breadth vs depth of impact, helping individuals vs groups.

Ok, pressing "Publish Post" now in anticipation of a "wtf is this crap I wrote?!" hangover tomorrow.