Correction...

A while back I wrote a piece ostensibly about the 19th century Robber Barons, and made some references to the fact that modern business and businessmen don't do a damn thing for society.

I stand corrected.

First came Bill Gates announcing that he will step down from running Microsoft and focus on heading up The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation full time, beginning in 2008. The foundation is dedicated to health and education, focusing on the places in the world where the need is greatest. Gates says he doesn't see any reason why the ten deadliest diseases killing people in our world today can't be eradicated, and people like Doctor Paul Farmer, who actually work in the trenches, agree with him wholeheartedly: If you've read Mountains Beyond Mountains, you know what it did for Partners In Health. Gates is brilliant as an executive, and as a business tactician. I think it's pretty exciting to think about what might be achieved when his working focus is placed 100% on the Foundation...

And then Warren Buffett announces that he's not waiting to die to endow his fortune upon those who truly need it: He will be giving the vast majority of his billions to several charities, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation first among those. Something like $30 billion dollars will be added to the Foundations $45 billion current worth. Andrew Carnegie gave away a lot of money in his day, something like $7 billion in current value. Gates and Buffett will donate ten times that amount now, let alone what it will be worth in the future...

Buffett said he wants to do it now because, in essence, it's needed, and because there are people like Gates who are better are running philanthropic endeavors than he is - The man who made more money than everybody but Gates admits he's not good at philanthropy: He sure knows where to put it...

Gates and Buffett are actually pals; they play bridge online together, go on vacations, and share passions for, "Bridge, burgers, and the belief that democracy does nothing for the poor of the world." That the two richest people in the world, among today's Captains of Industry, are friends is quite rare - First off, the climate of business doesn't lead to friendship, and the pace of running companies like Hathaway and Microsoft certainly wouldn't either. Gates says he learns much about life and business from watching Buffett. Buffett says his idea to disseminate his wealth now in the manner he's chosen comes from Gates' example. Buffett hopes to create a trend of philanthropy, at a time when it is probably needed more than any other period in history.

I find these two actions very heartening. It gives me hope for mankind in a way I didn't have a few days ago. Money can't buy everything, but money with smarts and determination behind it can make huge strides toward righting the many wrongs of the world. If poverty, hunger, and disease are the root causes of many of the problems we see and hear about every day, then attacking them with the intention of nothing less than complete eradication has to be a good thing, right? We're not talking about waiting on governments and politics and rhetoric to take action, here: We're talking about people who are used to getting things done, and who have the clout and resources to make it happen...

It doesn't mean squat to say so, but I'm proud of these guys. And come to think of it, I can get behind all three of those passions, to boot...