Stepping Up
American industrialist-philanthropists have quietly been going about distributing some of their income, profits, personal wealth both at home and internationally in a demonstration of just how possible it is to be proud world leaders not only in entrepreneurship and industrial production, but in circulating wealth to enrich the world through the communion of charity. They do themselves a favour by divesting themselves of some of their profound wealth on behalf of an ideal that holds that those who have should share.This is an ideology of compassion and generosity not held in dreadfully high esteem everywhere, but it may represent a growing phenomenon as the light of reason and reasonability appears to be encouraging more wealthy industrialists to benefit a larger circle of society through the distribution of their wealth than merely family and friends and favoured charitable enterprises. Warren Buffet and his good friend Bill Gates issued a direct challenge to American billionaires, and many of them rose to the challenge.
That news went out around the world, and while there was a positive response within the United States with a growing number of American billionaires agreeing to the functionality of distributing a large proportion of their wealth to charitable causes of their choosing resulted, there is every reason to suspect that the virus of generosity may spread and grow to a larger scale. Avarice and greed are human attributes, but so are compassion and the urge to share with others far less advantaged.
Now comes news that an Indian IT tycoon has decided to become his country's greatest philanthropist, in giving a whopping $2-billion to build primary schools in some of his country's most indigent areas. Azim Premji, the founder of Wipro, a software to cooking-oil empire, 2nd-ranking wealthiest man in India, represented within the world's 50 richest individuals, with a personal fortune of $18-billion has reached the realization that he won't miss $2-billion out of his fortune.
The beneficiaries of his generosity will be some of India's poorest children. Surely that gesture in recognition of his personal responsibility with wealth well surpassing any yardstick of personal need, and the good that can come of executing that responsibility in such a manner represents to him a priceless treasure. The self-respect that he gleans from his gesture of recognizing and acting upon need would be immeasurable and well worth the funding he has proffered.
In another notable instance, an Italian shoe magnate has responded to his country's appeal to raise $33-million toward the preservation of the Roman Colosseum. The appeal was sent to the international community in the hopes that this world heritage treasure's need for critical renovation would be responded to, but it was not. Now, Diego Della Valle, the head of the Tod's shoe and bag empire, one of Italy's wealthiest businessmen, has decided he would pledge to pay for the full restoration of the Roman amphitheatre. There will be no strings attached, according to the Italian authorities; the funding will be gratefully received, and there will be no advertising permitted in response, on the 2000-year-old structure.
Perhaps Mr. Valle's decision to step forward in a way that benefits his own country's heritage, rather than prevailing upon the international community to respond will herald a new and welcome and much-needed philosophy among those who have infinitely more than they will ever need, to look at their own responsibilities to their communities rather than waiting for others to step forward.
Labels: Economy, Environment, Political Realities, Social-Cultural Deviations
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, December 04, 2010
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