I Parked My Jet at My Castle

I just tripped over an article about Forbes Top 400. The people named are all billionaires. If you’re like me, you don’t even know how many zeros that is off the top of your head. The article talks about the things they could buy if they wanted to. The list includes jets, islands and castles. The part that most caught my eye was when the author stated that these rich people could purchase the entire economy of many countries! Those on the list are said to have a collective wealth of over 1 trillion dollars!

Bill Gates, the mogul behind Microsoft, is worth about $50 billion. The article says that his personal worth is greater than the GDP of 140 countries, including Costa Rica and Bolivia. For some of you this may come as a shock. For others, you may not be as surprised. I feel the need to put these facts into perspective.

The GDP, or gross domestic product, of a country is the total value of goods and services made within a country according to Wikipedia. This includes income and investments. It is used to estimate economic performance and the overall standard of living of the residents.

Let’s take Bolivia. According to Wikipedia, it is a country with a population of about 9 million people and a nearly 60% poverty level and a GDP lower than all other South American countries. The article also states that many of the women of the country are illiterate.

From this perspective, I find Gates’ wealth much more intriguing. One man has the resources of 9 million people. The question is: what does he do with it? According to this article, he and his wife established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. It also states that they have given over $28 billion to charitable organizations. While the foundation is tax exempt and their giving is tax deductible, I find this number astonishing still.

Luke 12:48 tells us that much is required from the one who has been given much. Do we really believe that? If we all gave what we are capable of giving, would poverty exist in this world? Would any person go hungry? How can a person love his own wealth so much that he is willing to let others starve or die of treatable illnesses because they can’t afford or access health care? While I’m not referring to Mr. Gates as being stingy, there are many wealthy people who feel no sense of responsibility for those who are less fortunate around them. I find that appalling.

This scripture does not simply apply to the extremely rich, and I don’t believe it’s talking only about money. All of us are given something, and all of us have opportunities to share those gifts with others. Pay it forward today.