MARK ZUCKERBERG BUILDS PURPOSE ON FACEBOOK WALL

 

 

For big life questions, Mark Zuckerberg has big answers.

From his Harvard commencement address:

Today I want to talk about purpose. But I’m not here to give you the standard commencement about finding your purpose. We’re millennials. We’ll try to do that instinctively. Instead, I’m here to tell you finding your purpose isn’t enough. The challenge for our generation is creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.

Creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose, or the feeling of purpose?

Watch a baby boomer obsess over their facebook page, then ask how they feel.

If they post endless images of food and drink they probably feel full.

Millennials are a different deal? Let’s hope so.

Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness.

Mark Zuckerberg raises the bar to True Happiness?

Of course you’ll chose to believe what makes most sense to you, but why downgrade happiness?

Why replace Happiness with True Happiness when Happiness is so elusive?

Is this something rich people do when their net worth is nearly twice the endowment of the college they didn’t graduate from?

Or something bigger?

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, on Wednesday announced a $3 billion effort to accelerate scientific research with the wildly ambitious goal of “curing all disease in our children’s lifetime.”

In December 2015, the couple stepped out into the philanthropic world in a big way — pledging an estimated $45 billion to do good in the world, making their already substantial donations look paltry.

Reminds me of my cowboy day(s).

Mark Zuckerberg would be a good cowboy.

One day out on the range a big truck pulled up with a huge trailer full of young cows.

The job was getting them out of the truck, through the corrals for medicine, and turned loose in the fields to fatten up for the beef market.

Most of the cows got out of the truck fast, with four laying on the bottom of trailer looking dead.

These were Downer Cows, not dead cows. If we could get them on their feet they’d be money in the bank.

The idea was to make it too uncomfortable on the floor for them to lay there and die.

With enough kind words and helpful hands, along with yelling and cattle prodding, all four got out.

You couldn’t tell them apart once they hit the pasture.

Mr. Zuckerberg leverages his world-wide influence like a cattle prod, and we’re the cattle.

Or Millennials are the cattle, the rest will follow the herd.

Be like Mark Zuckerberg.

Today I want to talk about three ways to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose: by taking on big meaningful projects together, by redefining equality so everyone has the freedom to pursue purpose, and by building community across the world.

First, let’s take on big meaningful projects.

He’s a married father, a husband and a dad.

He’s talking about big meaningful projects while he’s in the middle of a big meaningful project.

No pressure Mark, but if our kids screw up no one knows. We’ll know if yours screw up. Of if they don’t.

Give your wife and kids first shot at you.

The second is redefining equality to give everyone the freedom they need to pursue purpose.

We should have a society that measures progress not just by economic metrics like GDP, but by how many of us have a role we find meaningful. We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things. We’re going to change jobs many times, so we need affordable childcare to get to work and healthcare that aren’t tied to one company. We’re all going to make mistakes, so we need a society that focuses less on locking us up or stigmatizing us. And as technology keeps changing, we need to focus more on continuous education throughout our lives.

It’ll need some work. Try this out instead:

Once upon a time I met Prince Charles’ tutor in Cambridge, England. Professor Marrion was dating my wife’s aunt so we got to see him in his normal life.

Ah, romance in the 80’s. Not 1980’s, 80 year olds.

I asked what determined a good candidate for a Cambridge College.

“Well, you see, unlike America, we don’t encourage students to come here and find themselves. Instead, we want to see at least two to three years focused research on one topic.

“Once them come here we all work together to further their quest.

“Have you been to The Eagle? That’s where Watson and Crick argued after working on DNA.”

This was during graduation prep with miles of cable and stages and lights set up for the big walk.

Lots of stunned looking college kids wandering around.

So try to help people, but require measurable progress toward a stated goal?

Creating purpose is the work of helping people articulate a goal. One. Goal. At. A. Time.

And build on it.

But it’s not just about money. You can also give time. I promise you, if you take an hour or two a week — that’s all it takes to give someone a hand, to help them reach their potential.

Maybe you think that’s too much time. I used to. When Priscilla graduated from Harvard she became a teacher, and before she’d do education work with me, she told me I needed to teach a class. I complained: “Well, I’m kind of busy. I’m running this company.” But she insisted, so I taught a middle school program on entrepreneurship at the local Boys and Girls Club.

I taught them lessons on product development and marketing, and they taught me what it’s like feeling targeted for your race and having a family member in prison. I shared stories from my time in school, and they shared their hope of one day going to college too. For five years now, I’ve been having dinner with those kids every month. One of them threw me and Priscilla our first baby shower. And next year they’re going to college. Every one of them. First in their families.

Call it skin in the game, or weaving your life into the social fabric.

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t taking his ball and going home anytime soon.

Don’t expect a Howard Hughes-like later life from this guy.

(Deep announcer voice) Like America, which began on the uncertain wobbly legs of more freedom bringing people together, facebook has it’s own special power.

Purpose doesn’t only come from work. The third way we can create a sense of purpose for everyone is by building community. And when our generation says “everyone”, we mean everyone in the world.

Quick show of hands: how many of you are from another country? Now, how many of you are friends with one of these folks? Now we’re talking. We have grown up connected.

Mark Zuckerberg all grown up.

What is facebook? What is it really? The center scroll tells the tale. Facebook is all about a wall.

The facebook wall built by Mark Zuckerberg, and now he wants to cure disease, give motivated people a ‘benefit of the doubt’ salary, and create purpose-built community, with the returns of his endeavor.

With a wall.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it, the Zuckerberg Wall?  But it’s more a portal than confinement.

Complain all you want about millennials addicted to their phone, their tablet, their devices. Unconsciously binge watching Game Of Thrones between games of the new FPS doesn’t warrant your judgement.

When you’ve got a cowboy like Mr. Facebook in their faces, ramrodding the herd with a potent cattle prod, and delivering the best intentions of any rich man since John D. Rockefeller walked around Manhattan giving away dimes, you’re on the right track.

All Mark Zuckerberg asks is that you be prepared for the future, at least more prepared than this guy.

We’ll know it’s all moving along when we read about MZ like we read about this guy.