make a difference in the world

The internet is a great thing indeed, and it has allowed me to make many new friends, alot of them through 43Things :). Everyone’s got somethign on their mind, some problem, some tragedy that’s happened to them that they need to talk about, and I really want to be the guy who will be there and listen to them and try to help them. For some reason, I honestly do love a lot of people. If I meet you and we talk, then after a very short time, I find myself empathising with you and wanting to do anything I can to make your life better. I don’t know why, for now I’ll label it as Jesus complex (No, I don’t think I’m Jesus, but I look up to him, and try to lead my life as he led his and share the love of humanity that he had.) I’ve had friends with OCD, Eating disorders, depression, friends who cut themselves, you name a depressing story and I’ve probably heard it somewhere down the road. It is really sad that these things happen in our society, but I try my hardest to help my friends heal, one person at a time or at least make them smile by my goofy presence :). Maybe I should look into a career where I could do this even more, or volunteer at a clinic in my free time. Helping people who are in need is the most rewarding thing you can do with your life :).

As you have probably read, Warren Buffet just donated $37Billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I am thanking him here not only for the millions of lives he will make better, but for providing a role model for me to follow. I doubt I’ll ever make it as big as he did, but it’s a wonderful thought that I shall keep with me. I’ve been caught up in Randian thought before wondering why a person must do this, why society must take from he who is its driving force, but here I see a different picture. This is a man with far more money than he could ever spend selfishly if he even wanted to. In most cases, this results in generations of the family living off of this wealth, but Buffet said that he does not believe in dynastic wealth, and will “leave his children with enough to do whatever they want, but not enough to do nothing.” This is a wonderful idea, and since the people running the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have developed a great business sense from the years of earning their money and have proven themselves to have the willpower to follow through on it, the foundation will be very successful. As Jeff Skoll, founder of eBay said on I believe a 20/20 episode: “I do not think of money as a final goal but as a means to my goals; an intermediary. Were everyone given an equal grounds to start on, the free market would appear to be flawless, but since that is not the case, It is important for those capable to try to level the playing field. I am not at all endorsing communism, people are not equal, and should not be considered such, the system just fails. They should, however, all be given a chance to live and succeed in this world.

I’ve had my extremely exestentialist moments where I try to find a purpose for my life, and they are usually very depressing, because in the end we all die, and what did anything really matter? To live to support yourself is a paradox, the cause and effect being equal, so essentially there is no causality. The only thing that makes sense is to live to help others. By doing this property, you wil be better using your time and leave a great impact even after you’re dead, bringing you some level of immortality. I’m still looking for my big opportunity to achieve something important enough so that I am remembered, and I cannot wait until that day. In the mean time, I try to help anyone around me as much as I can, because nothing feels better than being able to do this on a personal scale. It’s love.