The other day I came across the term minga as I read about how some women in Colombia got together to form a minga to empower impoverished women. Minga comes from the indigenous South American language of Quechua and means communal action or communal work day. When people form a minga, they come together and commit their resources of time, talent and money to work toward a common goal that benefits those involved. And a successful minga requires full consensus. The term is used by the indigenous communities of Colombia and other countries to describe their popular mobilizations they work together until the overall objectives of the community are achieved.
Maybe the times in the U.S. are over that we can all work together. But we can form our own small mingas that underscore the Quechuas sense of community and reciprocity, and how Americans in the U.S. work for ownership and profit. I like this concept of forming mingas I imagine it’s exactly what I believe in, that first we must make meaning in our lives and then make money.