Jul 2006 - Neil Espie

Why is it we praise a rich person for the good work they do for one of their favoured charities and don't notice or remember those who have no wealth nor power to shine.

This need not be...

One of the problems with being rich (which probably most of us aspire to be) is that it means a shift in power in all sorts of ways.

Let's look at a wonderful person who gives their money away to charity. Let's say they earn two million dollars a year and decide to give away one million dollars each year (for whatever reason). That's 50% of their yearly income (not many of us would do that hey), so it is very praise worthy and ergo they must be a good person.

That's a huge one million dollars given away, which can feed and cloth a lot of children or even open a new hospital wing - marvellous!

But do remember, that still leaves that person with a million dollars a year left over to spend on themselves; many lifetimes of work for most of us in this world. Does that seem fair, that one rich person can spend in a year what most people in this world would take generations of family work in order to earn the same amount?

Now, what about that one million dollar donation. Wonderful, some organisation will be so grateful for that money as it will let them, finally, do what needs to be done or at least start down that road but...

What if that one million dollar donation had be left in the hands of 10,000 individuals (instead of the one rich person). Let's assume an ideal world, and that these people will all donate their new, one hundred dollars they now hold; remember, $100 is a stupendous amount of money to the majority of people in this world.

Who do you think that money would go to and benefit? The answer would be - to a whole lot of charities, institutions and individuals; perhaps nearly as many as there were people donating. It would have been spread around more evenly and would have benefited a whole spectrum of people.

So, is it right that one rich person decides who will benefit (or actually live or die in some cases)?

Now, let's go back to the 'praise' for those of us who are rich enough, fortunate enough, to be able to donate huge sums of money for whatever reason. A word to those in power - "praise" that person who donated $10 from their meagre income or possessions and who had to go without heating or food in order to do so, and think twice about praising the well to do.

It is not about the amount of money given, it is about what we give up in order to help others.

Personal wealth is about "me" and is not something to be aspired too, but then we are only human hey, and "me" is pretty important?