rahulbrown (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} rahulbrown) wrote,@ 2007-01-12 02:44:00 |
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68 Cents To The Richest Men Alive
The following are transcripts of letters I sent to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet in response to an LA Times article detailing how the investment practices and positions of the Gates Foundation are in direct conflict with its philanthropic mission by creating suffering among those they aim to assist.
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Dear Mr. Gates,
I laud the marvelous work you've done through the Gates Foundation and greatly appreciate your contributions in working to solve humanity's most pressing crises.
It was with shock and dismay that I learned of some investment practices and positions of the Gates Foundation which serve to undermine, reverse, and even eclipse all of the great work you have has done.
Though I admittedly know little about how a foundation works, it seems to me that your investments were made out of a noble desire to expand the endowment of the Gates Foundation and amplify the goodness that can come from your hard-earned money. And yet, the implications of those investments for the people at the bottom of the pyramid who stand to gain the most by your benevolent programs are dire and potentially deadly.
This letter is written to you on handmade recycled paper by slum dwellers who live near Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. Symbolically, these are the people whom the Gates Foundation works for, and this letter is written in red ink, symbolic of their blood.
As you think about how to rectify the problem created by the Gates Foundation's investment practices, I would urge you to use the thinking that Mahatma Gandhi applied to inform his work for humanity:
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj [self-rule] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away.
It's my sincerest wish that the work of the Gates Foundation reaches a level of purity, such that it may echo in eternity beside the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi.
Sincerely,
Rahul Brown
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Dear Mr. Buffet,
Your philanthropic contributions to the Gates Foundation will be remembered as one of the single biggest financial contributions for the goodwill of humanity for a long time to come, and I would like to thank you for your spirit of generosity and benevolence.
It was with shock and dismay that I read an LA Times detailing some investment practices and positions of the Gates Foundation which serve to undermine, reverse, and even eclipse all of the great work it has done.
I am certain that you are not in support of the negative impacts and consequences of the Gates Foundation's investments.
This letter is written to you on handmade recycled paper by slum dwellers who live near Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. Symbolically, these are the people whom the Gates Foundation works for, and this letter is written in red ink, symbolic of their blood.
As you think about how to use your profound influence to rectify the Gates Foundation's investment practices, I would urge you to make use of a talisman that Mahatma Gandhi applied to inform his work for humanity:
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny?
It's my sincerest wish that the Gates Foundation uses your wealth with skillfulness and purity such that your impact may echo in eternity beside that of Mahatma Gandhi.
Sincerely,
Rahul Brown
---------------------
If you'd like to send letters of your own, you can write to these gentlemen at the following addresses:
William. H Gates
Chairman, Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Warren Buffet
CEO, Bershire Hathway Inc.
1440 Kiewit Plaza
Omaha, NE 68131
Thanks to Ragu for the idea of writing handwritten letters.
The following are transcripts of letters I sent to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet in response to an LA Times article detailing how the investment practices and positions of the Gates Foundation are in direct conflict with its philanthropic mission by creating suffering among those they aim to assist.
-------
Dear Mr. Gates,
I laud the marvelous work you've done through the Gates Foundation and greatly appreciate your contributions in working to solve humanity's most pressing crises.
It was with shock and dismay that I learned of some investment practices and positions of the Gates Foundation which serve to undermine, reverse, and even eclipse all of the great work you have has done.
Though I admittedly know little about how a foundation works, it seems to me that your investments were made out of a noble desire to expand the endowment of the Gates Foundation and amplify the goodness that can come from your hard-earned money. And yet, the implications of those investments for the people at the bottom of the pyramid who stand to gain the most by your benevolent programs are dire and potentially deadly.
This letter is written to you on handmade recycled paper by slum dwellers who live near Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. Symbolically, these are the people whom the Gates Foundation works for, and this letter is written in red ink, symbolic of their blood.
As you think about how to rectify the problem created by the Gates Foundation's investment practices, I would urge you to use the thinking that Mahatma Gandhi applied to inform his work for humanity:
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj [self-rule] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away.
It's my sincerest wish that the work of the Gates Foundation reaches a level of purity, such that it may echo in eternity beside the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi.
Sincerely,
Rahul Brown
-------------------
Dear Mr. Buffet,
Your philanthropic contributions to the Gates Foundation will be remembered as one of the single biggest financial contributions for the goodwill of humanity for a long time to come, and I would like to thank you for your spirit of generosity and benevolence.
It was with shock and dismay that I read an LA Times detailing some investment practices and positions of the Gates Foundation which serve to undermine, reverse, and even eclipse all of the great work it has done.
I am certain that you are not in support of the negative impacts and consequences of the Gates Foundation's investments.
This letter is written to you on handmade recycled paper by slum dwellers who live near Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. Symbolically, these are the people whom the Gates Foundation works for, and this letter is written in red ink, symbolic of their blood.
As you think about how to use your profound influence to rectify the Gates Foundation's investment practices, I would urge you to make use of a talisman that Mahatma Gandhi applied to inform his work for humanity:
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny?
It's my sincerest wish that the Gates Foundation uses your wealth with skillfulness and purity such that your impact may echo in eternity beside that of Mahatma Gandhi.
Sincerely,
Rahul Brown
---------------------
If you'd like to send letters of your own, you can write to these gentlemen at the following addresses:
William. H Gates
Chairman, Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Warren Buffet
CEO, Bershire Hathway Inc.
1440 Kiewit Plaza
Omaha, NE 68131
Thanks to Ragu for the idea of writing handwritten letters.
