I had always known that Warren Buffet, reputed until recently to be the second richest man in the world (then only after Bill Gates), made most of his stupendous wealth from the stock market, especially through speculation. Thus the picture I had of the billionaire was one of a shrewd, calculating investor.
However, I was to have a somewhat different picture of the man created in my mind when I received an email from a friend, depicting the man not only as a man with a Spartan lifestyle but also one with a heart of gold!
During a one-hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who had donated $31 billion to charity, some very interesting aspects of his life came to the fore:
In June 2006, Warren Buffet decided to give away his fortune to charity, with 83 per cent of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The donation amounts to approximately $30 billion: the biggest single donation in history.
This is a man who has obviously been able to master his money. Not only was he able to make his money work and earn more money for him in his early years, making him a billionaire even in his twilight years, he also clearly understands the principle and concept of man being no more than a steward of the money he finds in his possession. He has given much to charity and allowed his money to work for the benefit of mankind and for the ultimate purpose and glory of God.
Any doubt then that when such a man transits from this earthly plane, his name will be immortalised among men, not just for having had so much physical possession but for understanding the basic purpose of life and what I fondly refer to as elements of the Truth Eternal?
I believe we should all take a cue from Warren Buffet’s approach to life; from his ability to understand the principles of wealth creation, to make so much through honest living and above all, to give so much away in order to make the world a better place to live in.
You and I may not have such billions to give away, but we can no doubt make our own contributions in our little corners of the world to put a smile on someone’s face.
