Bill Gates recently had a “questions from the public” event at Reddit. These days, he is mostly involved in his charitable foundation, and has less to do with Microsoft. Now here’s the thing – what I suspect that Bill Gates will never get is that he has done more for the world with Microsoft than he can, unfortunately, ever do with his charitable foundation. That is not to say that he isn’t doing good, charitable things – I’m fairly certain that he does – but probably nothing can compare to the wealth he has created through Microsoft products, which have effectivized the world to an extent previously unimaginable. But it takes a proud capitalist to know such things.
I had previously heard histories about how he (and his wife, which co-chairs their Charitable foundation) have used emotional scare-tactics to try and get people to donate to charity. Gather a room of rich people, let loose a bunch of mosquitoes and say “what if I told you these have malaria”. Pretty nasty stuff, in my book. Besides, all people need is DDT. But this wasn’t meant as a post for bashing Bill Gates, however from things I’ve previously gotten a distinct feelign that he is definitely a “crusader” when it comes to his charity work.
And a comment from his Reddit-appearance really stood out, and made me feel sorry for him.
Q : Anything left on your bucket list?
A : Don’t die…
It’s normal to not want to die. Dying probably isn’t any funnier just because you have a gazillion dollars. But I’ve gotten this feeling before, not only from Gates, but from many other high-profile philanthrophists (Warren Buffett anyone?) : They are, in a way, hoping to buy a ticket to heaven, despite the fact that many of them are atheists. I believe that the same goes for people like Ray Kurzweil, who desperately wants to survive long enough to become immortal (at least, in the digital sense). It really is sad, that we have lost so much when it comes to our spiritual lives. Now, I’m not going to say its easy. I do not really want to die either. But I am coming to accept that I will, no matter what. I won’t be 200 years old (a recent prediction said that people born now may survive to be 200 years old – I’ll gladly bet against that, unfortunately I will never alive to either say “Hah! I told you so!” or admit I was wrong).
Modern man is desperately trying to transcend his biological nature. It reminds me of how during periods authors have tried to reach a “higher consciousness” by doing drugs. It never ends well. Trans-humanism is, I believe, a dead end. What is the purpose of becoming immortal if it ISN’T YOU? People have this strange way of denying us being anything but biological creatures (without any metaphysical aspect) and at the same time thinking that if only they could change their biological vessels, they could live forever.
What then, is your essence? This is a strange kind of metaphysical nihilism, where you are neither your biology, nor anything beyond it. I can’t understand what these people are thinking. Now, of course, I may be wrong about Bill Gates. He may just be a nice guy. But regardless of him specifically, this just re-inforces my view that in a metaphysical sense, we are all dying. Some people are probably already dead – because they can never be made to believe in anything beyond the atoms in their bodies moving around.
And I feel sad for them. I really do. Because while I cannot KNOW that my faith will mean that my existence isn’t wiped out a few seconds after I draw my final breath, at least there is hope. I too, want to transcend – but not through biology or technology. I know that this life will end, and I will perish. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But at least there is hope for my eternal soul. At least there is hope for something more important than this. Yes, dear readers – I have transformed into a Christian preacher. But you don’t really need to worry – I’m not here to make people believers. Even if I could, it wouldn’t be worth anything. We are, in the end, always alone with ourselves and God (or for some of you, that Spaghetti-monster you keep bringing up)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
The irony of it all is that if he’s trying to buy grace, it’s by persuing his life’s calling of building a better computer that he’s most like to find it. But he’s an ashamed capitalist. If there is natural law, economics is surely part of it; his charity isn’t generosity, it’s the buying of warm fuzzies. But if he’d dedicate himself to a cause he’s an expert at – computers – he could continue to change the world.
“They are, in a way, hoping to buy a ticket to heaven, despite the fact that many of them are atheists.”
So, doing “good” (whatever that might mean) is pointless or hypocritical, unless you hold some live-after-death belief system?
“But at least there is hope for my eternal soul.”
I guess I don’t understand. Is there an afterlife, or is it completely dependent on believing in it before you die?
I have no problem with your beliefs, or your opinions about others’ beliefs, but if you’re going to publically denigrate them (the others and their beliefs), then you’re going to have to come up with better arguments (or at least logical ones).
Your points were interesting enough that I need to make a follow-up post.
um, i’m a microsoft programmer who would really like to spend all the days i have left giving and working to make others lives better. if bill has too much time on his hands that he spends a lot of time contemplating existence, i’d be willing to trade.
most of my spare time is spent saving my pennies and improving my skillset so i have an enjoyable existence in the face of an oncoming global debt bubble bursting.
“Now here’s the thing – what I suspect that Bill Gates will never get is that he has done more for the world with Microsoft than he can, unfortunately, ever do with his charitable foundation. That is not to say that he isn’t doing good, charitable things – I’m fairly certain that he does ”
I’m not so sure.
Pushing vaccines with all sorts of covert negative side effects, up to and including death, the world over.
Bill Gates is part of the global elite that seeks to depopulate brown countries and control them through his MNC.
Globalization sucks for other countries too, not just the US.
There is no poor man who got anything from Bill Gates and of
course, beside so many poor people in the neighborhood “you will help to
Africans”, the fact is: it is harder to track if someone got help in
Africa than in the neighborhood. I asked Bill on his email to help me
about education (tuition fee for server administrator and laptop), as I
am homeless, and of course, he never answered.
His foundation also
doesn’t help to individuals because money laundering is done through
organizations, therefore they are not interested to have anything with
poor individuals. Who will really travel to Africa to check if someone
got help?
Instead to make offshore company and avoid taxes, Bill Gates got idea to misuse humanitarian organizations to launder money.
As you see, poor people don’t believe in Bill help, only journalists
publish Bill statements because they like riches who advertise in
medias. Medias make money from Microsoft, therefore they publish Bill
statements. I am poor man and I asked Bill for help and he never helped.
That’s the fact, all the rest is marketing and money laundering.
Riches will rather die than to give one dollar to the poor people,
they are living in the world of money and they accepted that everything
is about money, they can’t accept that someone get dollar just like
that. That’s against their idea: million people work that I become rich.
Riches fly high in their head and they see poor people as lower worth
people. The same like in the middle age.
bye
poor man
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