Oscar Di Montigny works as director of marketing, communication and innovation for an important Italian banking group, and perhaps that is why we find it more curious that it is someone like him who speaks to us about a sustainable economy that fosters the common good.
He is convinced that people are good, that we are interconnected and that a fairer economy is possible. It only takes one thing, new heroes, people who are really willing to sacrifice for their own good and that of others . Do you want to know if you are part of these new heroes? In his book The Time of New Heroes (RBA), this Italian lover of philosophy, art and the origin of words, explains the keys to participating in this change.
"I have because I give," he says in his book, but don't you think that it is not always received to the same extent that it is given?
What I believe is that sometimes we do not recognize the currency with which we are paid. That is, if we give money, they may pay us with an idea, but we want them to give us back the same we have given and this is a mistake, that is not giving. And we are not only wrong to recognize the coin that they return to us, but also the time in which they must do so. Often we give and want to receive immediately , when this may come later.
On what is it based to affirm that love is the economic act par excellence?
Towards the end of my public interventions, I usually ask attendees how many of them want to be loved (demand) and how many want to love (offer). The answer is everyone. My reflection then is that the market is guaranteed, because not only does Christian culture tell us that it is by giving that one receives, but the economic strategy is based precisely on that, on giving to have. So, whether you are a teacher, a journalist or whatever, whatever you do, do it with love and you will receive love.
Is this the foundation of your 0.0 Economy?
Economy 0.0 is a provocation and at the same time a motivation. If you look for the original meaning of the term economy you will see that it is defined as the art of directing and managing well the things of the family and the State. Good is the key word, because what is good? Perfect? Is it only an economic result that implies profit? No, good is good.
And 0.0 is a current concept. We live in a time when we all want to be 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 … and if you are not this, you are nothing. That is why I speak of 0.0, to provoke, because 0.0 does not mean going backwards, nor going slowly, it is going inwards, where we are all equal, it is looking for what is good, since I really believe that man is good .
You just used the term provoke, and it is a word that can be found frequently on the pages of your book. What's your objective?
I want to activate a small revolution in each person, from which each individual in his simplicity aspires, every day and every moment, to be a better man and stops delegating the solution of problems to others, to politicians. .
That is, it invites us to stop being passive members of this society
The key word is responsibility, which means the ability to respond. Answer what? Well, the questions you are asking yourself, because we all ask ourselves questions. When you ask yourself a question and look inside, you meet the other, because the other also asks those same questions.
Are the people responsible for your life, the ones asking questions, the new heroes?
We are the heroes when we face situations without closing ourselves off. A hero is a person who performs an extraordinary act of courage, which involves or may involve the conscious sacrifice of himself for his own and common good . My provocation is to say: "Let's not wait any more Mandela, Mother Teresa of Calcutta … let's do it ourselves!" We are interconnected, we have a great responsibility, so whatever our work is, let's do it with love and we will receive love.
In a society where everything revolves around money, do you really believe that money does not bring happiness?
No, it does not. Money is an energy to make things happen. So the more money you have, the more things you can make happen. But for me, it is not the richest who makes more things happen, but rather the one who makes more useful things happen. For example, if your job is to keep the street clean, when I go out for a walk I enjoy your work and I thank you. You will be rich, rich from my joy, from the joy you have given me by offering me a clean street. We are at the beginning of a revolution, but I did not say that it is easy.
What are your next projects?
Activate a revolutionary movement.
Being a man linked to the world of marketing, will he use his strategies to launch his revolution?
My goal is to provoke and at the same time foster courage in each person . I want to find people, the more I can the better, to make them question things. I do not have the answer, it is not my duty to give the instruments. What I will do is take them to the threshold where they can decide what instruments to equip themselves with. What you have to do is look in the mirror, look inside and that's not easy, people prefer to be told what to do, not to be given tools.
