Meanwhile, in the real world people are dying from lack of healthcare. http://www.biblehelp.org/mortality.htm Party on, Paul.
or drug use...or bike accidents...or choke on a t-bone.. or from being envy and always worry about what others have.
People die prematurely from all kinds of causes. Starvation, lack of shelter or water, easily treatable diseases, war, robberies gone wrong, mass murders by mentally ill science majors...In most parts of the world a few bucks a day would save a life. So how many would a few billion save? Just saying, he has the means to still live life as a multi-multi-multi-millionaire, and be known as "the man who saved millions of lives". He'd rather be known as "the man who had the most toys". It's a personal choice he's certainly free to make, and it's clear all the envious posters drooling over him here in this thread would make the same choice given the chance. I just think there's a very fine line separating his behaviour from that of someone like Hitler. With the stroke of his pen, and no realistic harm to his own health or wellfare, he could easily save the lives of more people than Hitler killed. But he buys more toys instead. Hitler acted out of fear, hate, avarice and self-absorbtion. He hunted people down and killed them. I doubt Allen has much fear or hate in him. But avarice and self-absorbtion are clearly what drives him. He simply looks away while people die. Both ways of thinking/living are incomprehensible to, and both represent severely damaged minds (IMO). Both result in millions of people needlessly dying.
Maris, the problem is not one individual, it is systemic. Be that as it may ... Am I the only one tired of shoddy so called "journalism"? The "writer" finds it necessary to repeat the meme about "reclusive" Paul Allen and then goes on to describe the huge party with boatload, literally of guests - hardly the behavior of a recluse! But hey, doesn't "everyone" say he's a recluse so just repeat it, facts be damned. This is a pretty unimportant issue but I see the same shoddy journalism on serious, world class issues. Just repeat what "everyone" says as though it was as immutable as the physical laws of the universe. Regardless of evidence.
http://mynorthwest.com/11/624253/Paul-Allen-was-most-charitable-living-American-in-2011 Paul Allen has no obligation to give any of his money, imho - but he is giving a pretty penny for charity on an on-going basis. I am not a big fan of Paul Allen - but this post was pretty much fact-free. Congratulations.
Not putting the weight of the world on PA alone, for he has done some wonderful things to benefit mankind in general. Just using him as an example for the combined sins of the 1%ers in general, and the massive chain of fatal effects their mentally-dysfunctional mania for money-hoarding has on the world's population in general. And I'm not saying they have any duty or obligation to do more, or to live merely like kings rather than like gods. I just can't grasp how they sleep at night.
Understand, Maris. I would not feel comfortable being super rich. I'm even slightly embarrassed seeing the cleaning staff at work cleaning up our messes, although I try to be neat, not everyone is. I know they do a hard, dirty, boring job and since they are contractors they don't get anything close to my pay, benefits or perks. Clearly I was not meant to be rich.
I'm definitely not one of the people who thirst for wealth. As long as I'm comfortable and not stressed about money, I would be happy and content. With that said, I do not fault those that are driven by success and money. I firmly believe in a capitalistic society because I think it drives innovation and motivates people do succeed. Obviously there are some people who are born into a situation that makes it very hard to succeed in life, but the possibility is there. I think a lot of the people who complain about capitalism and the rich are people who are too lazy to improve themselves.
I agree wholeheartedly and am quite capitalistic and very competitive in my own life. My wife and I have worked long and hard and thoroughly enjoy the fruits of our labors, and I'll admit I have more toys than a lot of people. But we, like most people, will feel no guilt or emptiness when we can finally take it easy for our golden years and be content to be comfortable, step aside and let younger less fortunate folks take a shot at success. The uber-rich seemed to be wired quite differently, with nothing that will ever satisfy them and little to no care about the rest of the world. They have no goal to reach, no result that will give them ultimate satisfaction. The whole keeping up with the Jones thing, or in this case the Gates', seemed just plain silly when I was a kid in L.O., but now it seems to be a far more serious threat to humanity in general. How much is enough?
I don't know, nor do I care about your own economic state, but all of us could put the same principle as you state into action. Do we know anyone down the street or wherever, that is less fortunate than we? Do we do anything for anyone else at all? Just trying to get it into prescriptive for us, I guess.
Hey guys, why don't you move your socially conscious debate to the OT forum where it belongs? This thread is for boat porn.
