Idea Day31: Points Of Merits And Virtues
I’m going to be a $50 contributor of RingSide Startup, but the one who really makes the donation is Kevin Leneway, author of A Startup A Day. I was participating in a game of “guessing which startup idea on that blog is a fake” and luckily voted the correct one. The prize is thus a free advertising on RingSide worthy of $50. It’s cool. Thank you Kevin.
His offering makes me think of a traditional Chinese belief, “points of merits and virtues” which you gain whenever giving away something good to others. The more points you accumulate, the better life you will have in the future, and even the fate of your offspring may be affected positively by this.
Hey, a bizarre idea pops up. Maybe there could be a website where one can post others’ name, good deeds, and give them points of merits and virtues according to what they have done (to you or others). Whether you are the object or participated in the process. Each deed requires a solid witness. Details include context of time, location, people, subject, or history log, or any consequence can be seen on the Internet. It’s different from reputation ranking on eBay. In the original Chinese concept, such points only granted by Gods, but in the 21st century, registered users can score a deed as a reference for Gods…
So, what can I do with those points? From the old belief, more points means Gods will bless you with good fortune / something good will happen to you in the future (or in your second life). On the other hand, on the Internet, your points earn you intangible happiness and respect from others. Not to mention you become more influential (if you happen to be an evangelist of something), more attractive to opposite sex (useful in your social network, of course before marriage), and you get more promotion opportunities (provided your bosses google you). All in all, it’s a testimony of your moral integrity and personality.
If you really want something tangible, substantial in return… Ok, you can have discounts on commodities provided by the website’s sponsors in exchange for your points. You deserve it!
Anyway, not bad to have a book full of merits and virtues. I want one.
Sphere It
Hi Timothy,
Thanks for this post, here’s a funny story. This morning I put in a bid on an amazing house that I really loved. The realtor called this afternoon and said it was a competitive situation and she wasn’t sure if we’d get it. I read your post and thought to myself “if there’s ever a time I need some good virtue points, it’s today!”
Sure enough, got a call later and we got it! Funny thing is, we didn’t even have the highest offer, but for some reason the seller decided to accept ours anyway…
Thanks again, it was definitely a nice thought to fall back on during a very crazy, stressful day.