Heavens Gates

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are two of the richest individuals on the planet. There combined wealth puts many countries to shame. They are shrewd hard driven individuals who have dedicated their lives to the accumulation of dollars. So it is reasonable to be amazed that the pair of them are giving away a large percentage of their wealth to charity. At first glance it seems out of character, but is it really?

I suspect they are seeking immortality in the form of a legacy that represents more than just a large stack of cash to be haggled over by their respective heirs. Certainly Warren Buffet is at an age when death can’t be far away and while Bill is a bit younger but he is also getting on. What ever the reason it is a good thing and should be encouraged.

I can’t remember where I read it but some outrageously rich person said that they would leave there children enough money to do what ever they wanted, but not enough money to do nothing. It is a nice sentiment. It also goes against the dynastic behaviour that seems to be common amongst the rich. Perhaps this marks a return to the ethos that was much respected in the early industrialist of the 19th century. A time when the neo-rich legitimised their place in high society with philanthropy.

Buffet has entrusted his legacy to the control of Gates Foundation. This too is reasonable. On all accounts Gates is an incredibly focused and driven individual. Obviously Buffet believes in him – ten figure numbers are involved. It also implies they see eye to eye on what is important o fix in the world. In this case it seems to be the big two third world killers – preventable childhood death and illiteracy. The eradication of malaria is also a noble cause.

There is also the über conspiracy theory that Gates is secretly developing a method to prolong life. If you read the Tad Williams Otherland series (or a dozen other similar books) you will get the picture. The ultra rich conspiring to prolong their existence using the phenomenal resources at there disposal and equally phenomenal disregard for the method used to achieve the goal. But I don’t think so……

I hope more of the world’s ultra rich join the trend. This can only be a good thing.