GIVING WHILE LIVING

 

Chuck Feeney's Motto: GIVING WHILE LIVING

Till today, there are close to 3,000 billionaires. And 100% of these billionaires are self-proclaimed philanthropies ! Bill and Melinda Gates. The Jeff Bezos. The Jack Mas. The Jack Dorseys. No doubt, their philanthropic initiatives have touched the lives of the poorest of the poor. The Gates Foundation has committed $250 million for the fight against Covid-19. Even Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has committed $1 billion to the Covid cause.

But Chuck Feeney ? He’s not even a household name but in the world has he done to be lumped alongside Bill Gates and company ? And to think that today, he and his wife live in a spartan-like rented apartment akin to a student’s dorm and with no car to boot. Hmmmm, less than forty [40] years ago, after amassing more than $8.3 billion as a successful Irish-American businessman, alongside his wife and his lawyer, they jetted off to the Bahamas, rented an office for a day to incorporate the Atlantic Philanthropies as an initiative focused on health and social priorities spanning the western world [from the United States] and Ireland over to South Africa and Vietnam. The long-term objective of the Atlantic Philanthropies ? To inject seed capitals across potential businesses that will further infuse monies back into Chuck Feeney’s philanthropic initiatives.

September 14, 2020. Chuck Feeney formally signed off the demise of Atlantic Philanthropies after it was able to complete ‘spreading the wealth’ of Chuck Feeney down to the last $1. And with humility, Chuck Feeney declared that he is now 'officially broke' now living a spartan life in a rented apartment with his wife.

When Chuck Feeney embarked on this never heard before initiative, he was quoted: ‘I believe strongly in GIVING WHILE LIVING. I see little reason to delay giving when so much good can be achieved through supporting worthwhile causes today’.

Too good to be true but this is what it is. Plain and simple GOOD. Contrast this to the unsatiable GREED of the powerful souls on our planet. It’s akin to comparing day and night, heaven and earth.

But we won’t lose hoping that Chuck Feeney’s good deeds will be contagious enough akin to the contagion that we are now witnessing with this covid-19 global pandemic. Heard of CSR initiatives ? Corporate Social Responsibility. Not bad BUT we’re fervently hoping those CSR initiatives can be further expanded by leaps and bounds if only to help alleviate the significant shortfalls and sufferings brought about by this global pandemic.

And for the UNLI greed that abounds in the corridors of power, we hope that they will realize that they can’t take with them those billions and unrestricted powers once they face their final judgment. Amen.