The tradition of Japanese poetry is probably the most amazing literature that we possess.  Its subtlety and complexity in the midst of simplicity is unparalleled.  No other form of writing has remained so fundamentally cohesive over the course of centuries.  A brief look at the evolution of American poetry in just two hundred years shows wild variance, while we can see over a thousand years of cohesive tradition in the Japanese corpus. 

Kenneth Rexroth, translator of all the above poems except the fourth (taken from Kathleen McCollough's translation of the Kokinshu), has said, "It is possible to claim that Japanese poetry is purer, more essentially poetic," than other forms of poetry.  "Certainly," he says, "It is less distracted by non-poetic considerations." 

My favorite of the above poems is the last one, which stopped me dead when I read it the first time.  I have scrawled in the paperback book I found it in, "When will this happen to me?" 

What do you think?  What is your favorite form of poetry?  What do these poems say to you?

-NDSR

It is very important to me that I be controlled by nothing but myself and the love of God.

How else can I consider myself free?

-ND

One of the greatest feelings of my daily life is that of waking up with my thoughts amorphous and dull, as much dream as anything else, and then slowly, over the course of the next few minutes, shaping those thoughts, refining them, rejecting the distracted or dream-time elements and forming what's left into a coherent whole.

It makes me feel alive. 

-NDSR

To end global poverty? 

That's the central idea behind micro-financial institutions, which allow everyday people to invest their money in loans to the poorest of the world's poor. 

Normally, banks do not deal in small loans, because it is comparatively unprofitable.  A bank makes the same in interest off of one hundred $20 loans as it does from one $2000, but with twenty times the investment of time and labor to process them.  What's more, most of those living in poverty have no credit or collateral that a bank could rely on.  Without legitimate means of acquiring capital, those in poverty can do nothing but survive at a subsistence level, without opportunity to better their own situation through entrepreneurship and investment.

This is where the micro-financial institutions come in.  They deal exclusively in small loans to those banks normally do not deal with.  And they get their capital from everyday investors like you and me. 

So here is an actual example.  Victor was an unsuccessful fisherman in Lima, Peru.  One day, a woman gave him a piglet as a gift.  He was reluctant to take it, thinking it would be a drain on his tight resources, but he ended up taking it, raising it to maturity, slaughtering it himself, frying it and selling it.  He was shocked to find that it was a much better investment than fishing ever was.  So he used the money to buy more pigs.  Now, he needs 855 soles ($300 USD) to build a corral for his pigs so he can raise enough pigs to run a restaurant. 

A local MFI called Microfinanzas Prisma will loan him the money if it can collect it from investors.  Here is where you come in.  If you think Victor's pig corral is a good investment, you can loan him a few bucks, as little as $25, through an American non-profit called Kiva.  In the end, you will get your money back (this ain't charity), and Victor will be in a better position to support his family and employ others in his community. 

Here is a video of former President Bill Clinton gushing over the capacity this model has for ending poverty in our lifetime.  (Skip to :40 for the relevant bit.)


Many politicians, economists and church leaders are equally excited about the capacity for micro-loans to radically alter the poverty landscape without need for charity or government aid.  Others, however, express doubt or outright disdain for micro-finance. 

What do you think?  Does micro-finance have the capacity to radically challenge world poverty?  Will it result in the end of charitable giving?  What doubts or criticisms would you offer for this economic model?  Would you consider making a loan on Kiva?

Kiva homepage
Introduction to Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund
Interview with Rupa Modi, manager for Kiva

-NDSR