A comment by Linda Johnson to one of my recent posts directed me to check out Bill Gates’ address to the graduates of Harvard in June 2007. In his address, he spoke about doing the most good for the most people. The quote that particularly struck me was, “The barrier to change isn’t too little caring; it is too much complexity.” In other words, turning caring into action should be a simple thing - you see a problem, and you act to change the problem. But you may get blocked by complexities of the situation. Gates says we need to cut through the complexity to find a solution. Sounds simple, eh?
Like many other Baby Boomers nearing retirement (Gates was born in October, 1955), he has stepped back from active involvement in his company to spend time on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He states Warren Buffet influenced him to think more about giving back. You might say that, as the wealthiest man in the world, he should be doing more than anyone else to give back to the planet. In his Harvard address, he quoted his mom, who believed that “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.” Ok, but still, he goes way beyond that. His foundation is the largest in the world, with assets of over $33 billion. He has won many humanitarian awards, including the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award in 2005(that is the pic above).
We too have been given a lot. So what are we, you and me, going to do to improve the planet?
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