Food for the Soul

Warren Buffet is encouraging billionaires to give away half of their wealth.

I’m impressed by the ones who do. Until I remember that most are in their 50s. Another 50 years and they’d be dead. A billion dollars won’t mean a thing to them then.

Some billionaires worry that their kids won’t have enough if they give away half of their wealth. Poor babies. They’d have to get a few hundred millions instead of a billion. And for all their hard work.

Appreciation for hard work and money decreases generationally for the rich. I’m sure you’re the exception. I’m sure your dad is a billionaire and you still work hard for every penny you earn. But that’s just pathetic and not true.

I grew up in an upper middle class home, and I guarantee you my life is easier than my dad’s was. I received an education, a comfortable home, and security. I didn’t have to work during high school or college. I didn’t have to cook or clean the house beyond my share of household chores.

I had privilege.

With privilege comes responsibility. Companies are big on social responsibility now. It’s cool to give away lots of money. Philanthropy rocks.

Yet the poor still live amongst us. They still die of hunger. They still suffer in the numbing cold. They still wake up in the middle of the night wondering how their kids will survive another day in the neighborhood, often without both parents at their sides.

Will a billion dollars stop world hunger? Will a billion dollars stop injustice?

Warren Buffet wants to convince others of it. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says the poor we will always have with us. Perhaps Buffet’s ideological thinking is touching, but vain.

Would you give half your wealth to help the needy? I remember making less than half of what I make now and thinking I had made it. I got paid $30,000 as a first year resident and was flush. I bought a People magazine and a yellow batch of flowers at the grocery store with a smile on my face.

How much do you have to make to give away half and not feel a dent in your fender?

These are hard questions to answer. Just because someone is a millionaire doesn’t make giving half of it away any easier than it is for you and me to do the same.

Social responsibility and personal comfort.

It’s Friday and instead of a usual recipe, chew on this for a while.

It’s food for the soul.

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