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Feeling Good or Being Good? The New Give & Get Economy and the Personal Gratitude Product for a Better Tomorrow.

Being Human for a Better Tomorrow in the Age of AI

  • October 17, 2025
  • 48th edition
Feeling good or being good

A month ago I had posted on rising conflicts, social tensions, and the decline of trust, transparency and meaningful dialogue across societies, and David Bowie’s prescient line from Space Oddity- Planet Earth is Blue… What Can I do? hit me hard.

I found optimism in the wisdom often attributed to Steve Jobs about some years being for winning, and others for building character, and that for the optimists and futurists, this is our time to dig in, continue to believe in a better tomorrow and, more importantly, do the work to help create it.

This article on the very real parallel realities—contrasting vision, success, and wealth for some with despair, anxiety, weariness from burden, and daily struggles for others—is striking. There is a great need for a bridge between the two parallel worlds that everyone can see, act and gain from, and from it, build a better tomorrow. Scientific studies and philanthropy need new adaptations for the world we are in today.

Two Parallel Realities: Two Universes

Age of Success

If you are part of the magnificent 7, record listing and fund raising in new age digital businesses, trading, raising money, building AI to AGI, or infrastructure, own assets like stock options, equities, home, gold, silver or crypto far more than you ever need, there can be no better time to live and thrive.

There is entrepreneurial energy and zeal which I can relate to, and there is no denying the happiness that comes when purpose and prosperity go hand in hand.

This is real. Every asset class today is at record highs and high transaction volumes show buying as well.

Age of Despair

On the other hand, if you are on a declining/slow growth employer laying off or automating jobs due to leadership, conflicts and wars, or a Gen Z looking for your first employment break, or in legacy businesses that are being disrupted by AI, the future is anxiety-inducing.

Managing rising inflation (everything seems to cost more) with depleting or stagnant income, even daily life can be weary and burdensome. There is too much to do, and it is unclear that the future is better, which used to be the case.

This difference can be seen in technology or financial media and what we can see in daily human connections when we travel, shop, dine, or meet.

To be sure, there are systemic challenges, and policy and regulatory reforms are needed for better equity, but there must be something we can do in our own way in our daily lives to be a bridge, and both be and feel good.
Without empathy and a bridge between the parallel realities, there is real risk of increasing disconnect and discontent leading to chaos and anarchy.

Philanthropy and Science Are Not Adequate to Find A Connect

It is heartening to see new age wealthy joining a rich galaxy of donors, and the size of these efforts have not been depleted, but uncertainties and a focus on high impact and systemic changes at human and social development.

It is much needed, but there are limitations to restricting the good to philanthropy, such as:

  • Restricts the act of giving to intergenerational wealthy
  • Seems distant and one-directional with no human meaning, especially for the giver
  • Well-intentioned but still driven by giver priorities and not with needs
  • Episodic and not embedded in daily lives

If these are the inadequacies of relying on philanthropy alone, then turning to sciences for a new model also does not help much too.

The pioneering work of Adam Grant’s psychology research identifies three reciprocity styles: givers (give more than they get), takers (get more than they give), and matchers (seek equal exchange). His research is compellingly counterintuitive – it is givers, not takers, that rank both at the top and bottom of the organizational hierarchy.

His contributions give an evidence-based framework for workplace reciprocity and motivation for generosity, but there are critical gaps too for the framework to be the bridge between our parallel realities.

  • Give and take is adversarial. It feels extractive and competitive, not a mutuality.
  • It is restricted to work and organizations. We need a framework that goes beyond work to daily living.
  • It misses the awareness and gratitude for giving and taking. This is also a limitation of gratitude research from Emmons et al., who show 40% of happiness comes from gratitude practice, but this is all about RECEIVING gratitude.

There is a GIVING gratitude that comes from an appreciation of being in a position to give and having the means and intention to do so. GIVING is as much a cause for gratitude as Receiving. After all, it takes a village of support to make someone successful.

Other studies from the science of anthropology from Mauss et al. are about gifting as a group exchange and not meaningful for individual action.

We need a new framework and approach.

A New Framework: The “Give and Get Economy

Definitions
  • The act of give or get is not only about money; it is about offering any help and bringing empathy, kindness, and care in human interactions.
  • It is universal - could be at work with colleagues, at home with friends and family, and even strangers in markets, streets, or digital media.
  • It is not a state of aspiration but a state of today, every day, where it matters now, and exchange is immediate.
  • It is not the hard economy of math and science, but nevertheless every action adds up to make the give and get economy. It is a sense of happiness from giving, receiving, and being.

The Give and Get Economy represents an individual’s aggregate of all exchanges—both giving and receiving—occurring not in some distant future but right now, every day, every month, every year. It operates without recourse or expectation, spontaneously, across all domains of life.

For those living in the Age of Success, this is from gratitude from being able to give, but as much about getting from every worker that makes their lives possible.

For those in the Age of Despair, it is also recognising the heroism of their support to family, friends, or a cause, and support from others that make daily lives happen.

When there is gratitude in BOTH giving and getting, then there is DIGNITY.

Personal Gratitude Product (PGP): The Practice of Give and Get in Daily Lives

GDP measures economic prosperity for a nation. PGP is for us as individuals. It is the sum of all the ‘give’ and ‘get’ we do every day, over time. The currency is action that isn’t just about money, but being of help or simply being present and kind.

When I give, someone receives (creating their Get). When I get, someone gave (creating their Give).

To be clear, PGP is only generated if:

  • It is unsolicited with no expectations or recourse. Getting paid for work is not a give or get, for example.
  • There is action. If there is no action and exchange, there is no PGP.
  • PGP accumulates from both getting and giving. It is cumulative.

PGP is not book-keeping, but it can be a journal entry in the end of the day or a reflection. There are no metrics to measure except the state of being for oneself.

It starts with awareness—’what did I give or get today?’—to a conscious practice of ‘give and get’, and eventually it becomes an unconscious part of who we are and what we do.

PGP bridges the gap because of mutuality of give and get. That narrows the gap between success and despair.
It is the ‘INNER WORK’ we can do every day, without diluting our role in the ‘OUTER WORK’ of bringing systemic social change.

New Times Need New Ideas

We have read about the extravagance of aristocracies and hardships of the common people. In all but a few instances, they were accepted as realities, and they remained unchanged.

Today we have evolved in thought as egalitarian, connected, and democratic societies with power and ability for everyone to make a difference.

It is never too early to start the Give and Get Journey. So why not now—when we are on the eve of the festive and holiday season of enriching human connections—to begin:

  • What did I give today?
  • What did I get today?
  • How do I feel after the exchanges?

If these all are in the affirmative, congratulations on your new journey.

As for me, I have just made a beginning in this phase of life to help, be it as advisory work, extending an ear or support to those who reach out, and through Mindvista writing for valued readers. I have miles to go.

Planet Earth is beautiful in blue and even more so when it shines yellow like the sun in radiating happiness.
Here’s to your joyous festive and holiday season. See you next time.

Sidebar: The Anchorage from Religion and Philosophy

The “Give & Get Economy” is not a new idea, but it’s a modern application of ancient, universal wisdom. It’s anchored in the world’s great spiritual traditions.

Personally, I see these traditions as emphasizing that “giving, doing good, and being good” are essential to a meaningful life. They also frame the “gratitude to give” not as a personal accomplishment, but as a blessing—an appreciation for being a channel for good.

This framework is built on two core pillars that are found globally:

Giving as Generosity: This is the voluntary act of giving without expectation. In Hinduism and Buddhism, this is Dāna, defined as “any action of relinquishing ownership… without expecting anything in return”. This is the spiritual root of the PGP’s “unsolicited” rule. In Islam, this is Sadaqah, or voluntary charity. In Christianity, this is Caritas, or selfless love, which compels one to give.

Giving as Duty: This is the non-negotiable obligation to give. In Hinduism, this is Dharmam (duty-based giving). In Judaism, Tzedakah (righteousness) is not seen as optional charity but as a moral duty to bring justice to the world. In Islam, Zakat is a mandatory pillar, a formal obligation to give a portion of one’s wealth.

These traditions teach that giving is its own reward. The Tirukkuṛaḷ, a cherished Hindu text, states, “Giving alms is a great reward in itself to one who gives”. Buddhist teaching holds that this generosity leads to “greater spiritual wealth”.

The “Give & Get Economy” translates this universal wisdom into a secular, daily practice. It’s a way to make this ancient, stabilizing force accessible to everyone, regardless of faith, to help bridge our modern divides.

Here’s to your joyous festive and holiday season.

See you next time.

Best wishes

II. Questioning / Asking

Good conversations flow from well‑sequenced questions—topical, simple, coherent, cohesive.
LLM Conversation Example 1
Q: What are empirical judgments?

A: Empirical judgments are based on observation, experience, or experimentation.
Q: What are moral judgments?

A: Moral judgments are based on ethical principles and values.
“AI is a language. Treat it like one: practice, iterate, and mind your grammar prompts, assumptions, and verification.”
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