thefixer opened this issue on Aug 08, 2007 · 24 posts
XENOPHONZ posted Wed, 08 August 2007 at 11:50 AM
I heard an interview or two with Bill Gates where he sounded like he felt guilty over having made so much money. He announced his plan to dedicate the rest of his life to giving his fortune away. So I suppose that's what he's now doing. He also indicated that he while his kids weren't going to be left in the poorhouse -- they weren't exactly going to be left among the world's top 100 richest people, either. I'm not sure what the Gate's kid's attitudes about those circumstances are. They might not be too happy with their dad........but I don't know.
I recall back when Sam Walton (the founder of Wal Mart) was the world's richest man. Towards the end of his life, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Walton broke his vast empire up into five pieces -- he kept one fifth for himself, and then he portioned the other four pieces out equally to his kids. IIRC, he made some sort of statement at the time about "not wanting to lose his family". It seems that the Walton kids had already begun to fight among themselves over who was going to get what upon their father's impending demise. I am given to understand that after the nice old man actually did pass away -- his children then proceeded to fight bitterly over their father's remaining 1/5th.
It's never enough. No matter how much most people have: it's never enough. Getting more only seems to make people want more still..........and as you get older, it gradually begins to dawn on you just how short this life is. And how little time you are going to have to enjoy the things that you've got.
Many rich people lead very unhappy personal lives. But not all do. Some of them are even.....noble. I'm not so sure that Bill Gates fits into the 'noble' category -- but I'm sure that he's got a very long line of people standing at his door with their hands out. Everybody is the friend of the man who gives gifts. Santa Gates.
The greed of the "little people" is no more admirable than the greed of the fat cats. The only difference is that one's got it -- and he isn't happy: while the other one wants it, and he isn't happy, either. Humans are like that.