The 40 of the richest Americans pledged to give at least half of their properties to charity by the ‘The giving pledge’ club. ‘The Giving Pledge’ club is a philanthropic campaign started in June 2010 by American billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. After the club was created, six weeks later, August 4th, they pledged to donate huge properties. The money that they donate is really huge. The money is estimated about at least $150 billion ($US). Especially, Bill Gates has already donated $28 billion to the ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’ and Warren Buffett has promised to donate more than 99 percent of his wealth.
In ‘The giving pledge’ club, there are 40 of the richest people whom we can easily know by just their name like Bill gates, Warren Buffett, David Rockefeller, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. They said that they have much more money than that their family need, so they want that their money will be used more meaningfully during their lifetime or upon their death. Giving away the huge properties, they said that it is lucky that the can donate such a lots of money.
In addition, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are encouraging the other rich people to donate. They announced that they would spread this property donation campaign into the whole world. They are planning to visit China and India in order to encourage donation.
I think they are doing really beautiful campaign. Of course, lots of people already know that they have to help other people, but it is very difficult to decide to give others such a huge property.
Actually, in Korea, in the past, it was really hard to see that the rich people donated such a high rates of their property like Bill gates and Warren Buffett. On the other hand, people who were not rich donated high rate of their property. Some day, I was very surprised when I heard that a grandmother donated about a hundred thousand dollar that she had earned during her whole life. I think it could be because the rich didn’t know the difficulties of the poor as much as the poor did.
Fortunately, these days, the donation culture has become usual in Korea, and many rich people donate lots of money. Recently, the president of Korea, Lee Myung-bak donated about $33million ($US), and the president of SAMSUNG, Lee Kun-hee returned about $300million ($US) to society.
I hope that these donation campaign spread into Korea, and in the whole world, so many people who need help will be cared. I also want to be a billionaire and carve my name on ‘The Giving Pledge’ list.
We can see their pledge letter in this homepage, http://givingpledge.org
Thank you.
Please leave your comment about ‘The Giving Pledge’ club’s donation.
Poor people desire others' donation because they get benefits; wealthy people donate their properties because they have redundant money and want to have a good social reputation or a self-satisfying happiness. People in between think it is a nice feedback and reward to the society. Moreover, we are all living together in a society whithin which the money keep circling around. Consequently, we are cheating oursevles by the facial phenomenons. The lies are in disguise of justice and reasons.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I don't know what I was talking about!!those thoughts above appeared in my mind accidentally.
Dear Joon:
ReplyDeleteAn interesting description of this unique group of wealthy men. I like how you describe your own country, Korea, and how the custom of rich people donating large sums of money was not always a common occurrence, but nowadays it is. As we say in English: "You can't take it with you!" (meaning when you kick the bucket!). Thus, I think Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are being truly magnanimous and large-hearted and want to "spread the wealth." Thank you for this informative blog posting.
--Alexandra
I think the Giving Pledge club is good to be established. Those celebrities could encourage other riches or the public to donate the money to the people who are in need. However, I think this kind of club is bad for two reasons. First of all, some donators want to build their good reputations in order to earn more money in their own businesses. Secondly, the rank of the giving pledge in the list may be a symbol of the power. That is, a person who donates much money shows his power of money. In my point of views, I think if a person really wants to help the poor, he or she could donate money without leaving any name and information. Besides, the information of using those donations should be published; otherwise, this club would be a place of money competition.
ReplyDeleteI thought rich people help the poor people because they want to show to the other people. Think about this, if they truly want help people they don't have to show that they give to charity. However I think the motive doesn't matter. The poor people don't care about rich's motive, and they just care about someone will help them whoever will be. I realized that if there is a someone who really need help don't care about helper's motive. As a result I think it's a good trend that rich help poor people. Whatever their motive is.
ReplyDeleteI think it is the "celebrity effect", only some public people take the lead for donation, then other people will follow to do that.Just like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are encouraging the other rich people to donate. People always see these famous people's activities,so they believe them and they also donated the money for poor people, ohterwise, they won't do that...
ReplyDeletethe Giving Pledge club also urge those rich people and the star whether pay back to society. They earn so much money, they should help the poor people to make the world balance, i mean to help them do not poorer.
For Joon:
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have already heard that Bill Gates has donated most of his property, but I didn't know the The giving pledge' club. Furthermore, I get known that Warren Buffett and David Rockefeller has also decided to donate their money. We should all agree that this is a good phenomenon to see. By reading your blog, I felt like this world are becoming much better than before. Since rich-poor gap is always a barrier that prevent human society from developing faster, it's really good to know that the richest persons are giving their money back to the society voluntary.
In fact, I am one of the person who benefit from the generosity of Bill Gates. When he visit China about 5 years ago, he helped my high school and some other schools built a lot of computer room by presenting computers. When I was studying in the library with the computers he donated, I decide to become someone like him.
When I saw professor Alexandra's comment said that the expression in English: "You can't take it with you!" (meaning when you kick the bucket!), I thought about another idiom in Chinese said that "You bring nothing when you're born as you take nothing when you die". That makes me think about the value of human life. As lone as we all shall die and we can't take anything with us, why not try to do something valuable? If I could do some contribute to the human society, I can die content.
This post reminds me of a story.
ReplyDeleteAlfred Bernhard Nobel, a person known as a great man who institute Nobel Prizes, is actually the inventor of dynamite: a kind of explosive material which has a great power to destroy things. Alfred's brother Ludvig died In 1888, and a french newspaper published the death news of Alfred Nobel by mistake. It was wrote that "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday". (from wikipedia) This made him rethink about his reputation and value to the society. So in his last will, he donated all his properties to establish the world-famous Nobel Prize.
I think wealthy people always want to leave themselves with a good reputation. It seems to be a little vain, but I agree with Klaus that the poor can eventually get what they want from the rich, which appears to be a good phenomenon for the society. Plus, I think that the rich are ought to have the awareness to pay back the society.
Wow , unbelievable..
ReplyDeleteI also made my goal to live donating life for poor people, and I read the same article in korea. That woman sold some food in street, and she lived at very small, poor house. however, she keep saving and donate her money for education for elementary school students.
May be It is similar story which Joon was read.
I hope Korean corrupted congressmen also donate their money to
society. How do you think joon? =)
For Joon,
ReplyDeleteI just heard about this The giving Pledge Club, and it is very good think to do because you cannot have the money with you after you die. Therefore, donating money is the best way to spend money.
While donating money, you dont feel like you re wasting. Actually, you proud of yourself. For me, this is what they should be doing.
Thanks for your post again.
Dear Joon:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your posting.
Bill Gates is known for his wealth and generosity, I've read the news that he donated a huge amount of his property."The giving pledge' club" is a meaningful campaign that has many advantages.Rich people can make donations to the charity and carve their names on ‘The Giving Pledge’ list which will last forever. Meanwhile, people who really need money can be relieved instantly. I am really happy to be informed this great event by your posting!
Dear Joon:
ReplyDeleteyou are very honest to admit you want to be one of them. It seems you are the person who has ambtion. I have read about your whole passage and be shocked in the same way because the money they donate is a huge amount for the normal people. Differences of ability exist in different colony. Why they can be so wealth and genorous? They know how to use the time as using the money.For those wealthy people, money are as just a number and they run more and more money to make their own property. After all, we can learn something meanmingful from they cause they are just the few people in the world anyway.
Dear Joon,
ReplyDeleteIt is really so big issue that people donate their properties to the society. For example, in Iraq, the grand Ayatollah Sistani has donated some of his properties to the orphans who their fathers killed in the recent war in 2003.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post. Amir