Leveraging Compassion in the Age of Infinite Possibilities

And again I say unto you,
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:24

Whether our rich-man archetype is encountered as Scrooge in Dickensian London or as Croesus in ancient mythology, we are all conflicted about our personal relationship with wealth, the uneasiness we feel when we pursue the dictates flowing from the security energy center of our false self. We all experience this uneasiness, consciously or unconsciously, whether we know anything about Simple Reality or not. There is a reason that we suffer when we identify with the world of form. There is a natural struggle between Mammon and compassion and it is at the crux of human decision-making; illusion or Reality, suffering or awakening.

Once upon a time there was a guy as “rich as Croesus.” (Croesus, 560-546 BCE, was the king of Lydia and has become an archetype of unfathomable wealth.) Our modern day Croesus, 15 years ago, found himself on his way to New York to make a speech and being a busy guy hadn’t had time to prepare anything. Having an outsize ego, just any old topic would not suffice, he needed to make a big—and I mean BIG splash, a belly-whopper.

His speech was a success. He had told the gape-mouthed audience that he was going to give away a $1 billion, a gift to the United Nations, the single biggest gift ever made to United Nations causes or the single biggest gift ever given period.

“Tycoons used to compete for their place on the Forbes and Fortune lists of wealthiest people [once again expressing the sensation energy center of the false self]. If they did give back,” columnist Nicholas Kristof continues, “it was often late in life and involved museums or the arts. They spent far more philanthropic dollars on oil paintings of women than on improving the lives of real women.”

This was a wonderful thing for our hero to do, unconscious or not, and it set a precedent of sorts. He revived the tradition of the archetypal givers like Rockefeller and Carnegie. His name was Ted Turner and he put pressure on other billionaires to demonstrate compassion for the less fortunate. We know that it worked because we can add the names of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to our list of Croesus morphed into “givers.” Turner was leveraging his dollars to multiply the number of givers and the amount given and it worked.

“Ultimately, Gates and Buffet made huge contributions that are transforming the struggle against global disease and poverty.” Kristof goes on to say that, “My hunch is that Gates will be remembered less for his work on personal computers than for his accomplishments against malaria, AIDS and poverty itself.”

The leveraging continues. “Gates and Buffet are both now recruiters for the Giving Pledge, which commits zillionaires to give away at least half their wealth. The giving pledge adds to the expectation [the leverage] that those who have won the global jackpot should give something back.”  Turner channeled his $1 billion through the U.N. Foundation where it was leveraged in such a way as to bring $2 billion to aid third-world nations.

For today’s gold standard in American philanthropy we would have to turn to the current mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. In January 2012 he gave $350 million to his alma mater,Johns Hopkins University. Over four decades he has donated $1.1 billion to Johns Hopkins. Ronald J. Daniels, the university president said, “When you look at these great investments that have transformed American higher education, it’s Rockefeller, it’s Carnegie, it’s Mellon, it’s Stanford—it’s Bloomberg.”

But he hasn’t finished. Michael Bloomberg has set up a foundation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that will, before he dies, give away all of his $25 billion fortune. He couldn’t do more leveraging of compassion than that.

Philanthropy is an ingrained value within both the American community and in the identity of Americans. “Eighty-eight percent of consumers think companies should accomplish their business goals while trying to improve society and the environment, and 83 percent think companies should more deeply support charities with financial commitments.” Beware all you Scrooges out there, you are being watched. Speaking of Scrooges…

Every story needs a villain, right? You are going to love where our story goes from here. The Smoking Gun website has described Donald Trump as possibly “the least charitable billionaire in theUnited States.” Oh well, we already kind of guessed that. Trump contributed his name to a foundation and over a period of 20 years has given a whopping $3.7 million. For a man worth $7 billion he is kind of a miserly Croesus.

The insecurity of the fear driven false self is assuaged by the accumulation of wealth.  We all feel safer when we have a lot of money in the bank.  The True self recognizes the illusion that money is not security.  In the context of Simple Reality the True self is focused on service to others.  The highest most heart-felt expression for any human being in the present moment is compassion.  Whether American tycoons are motivated by trying to impress others or to help others, doesn’t matter.  The effect is the same – with their wealth they have leveraged compassion.

_______________________________________________________________

References and notes are available for this essay.
Find a much more in-depth discussion in books by Roy Charles Henry:
Where Am I?  The First Great Question Concerning the Nature of Reality
Simple Reality: The Key to Serenity and Survival

 

 

This entry was posted in 3 Essays. Bookmark the permalink.