第3칼럼 미국 억만장자들 40명의 세계적 기부문화 운동 전개에 동참하자!!!

 

 

미국 억만장자들 40명의 세계적 기부문화 운동 전개에 동참하자!!!!

 

  미국의 부호들이 세계적으로 기부문화를 확산하기 위하여 자기의 재산 절반 이상을 사회에 환원하며 기부문화 정착을 위하여 미국에서 먼저 출범했다.

 마이크로소프트 창업자인 빌게이츠가 535억달라 상당의 재산을 기부 선언했고, 버크셔해서웨이 회장 워런 버핏이 470억달라 상당의 재산을 기부했다. 오라클 창업자 래리 엘리슨이 280억달라,뉴욕시장 마이클 블룸버그가 180억달라, 마이크로소프트 공동창업자 폴앨런이 135억달라, 선아메리카 창업자 엘리브로드가 57억달라, 영화감독 조지 루커스가 30억다라, 힐튼호텔 전회장 배런 힐튼이 25억달라, 록펠러 가문 후손 데이비드 록펠러가 22억달라, CNN 창업자 테드 터너가 18억달라을 사회에 여러가지 방법으로 환원을 선언했다. 한화로 계산하면 어림잡아 175조원이 넘는다. 우리나라 올해 한 해 예산의 60%에 달하는 액수이다.

 

 우리는 액수가 문제가 아니다. 자기가 모은 재산을 사회에 환원하다는 것은 그 결단이 쉬운 일은 아니다. 그렇지만 물질문명의 선두 주자였던 미국에서

기부문화의 출범이 있었다는 것은 참으로 다행스런 일이며 우리 나라도 기부문화 운동에 동참해야 함이 바람직하다.

 

자기의 후손들도 기부문화를 이해하고 따르도록 메일을 공개하고

www.thegivingpledge.org에 전세계인이 다 볼 수 있도록 기부서약(The Giving Pledge)을 게재해 놓고 있다.

 

우리도 기부문화의 출범에 박수를 보내고 동참하자. 지금 가진 재산이 없다면 가지게 되었을 때 사회에 환원하겠다는 마음 다짐만이라도 하자! 

 

빌 게이츠의 이메일만 게재합니다.

 

Parents all over the world do their best to give their children great opportunities.  They work to give their children every chance to pursue their own dreams.

However for too many parents, their dreams of giving their families better lives are dashed.  In the United States, their children don’t get the education they need to succeed in life. In the developing world, their children succumb to diseases that have long since been eradicated in rich countries.

Years ago, when we began to learn about global health, we were especially shocked to read that one highly preventable disease – rotavirus – was killing half a million children every year. Airplane crashes are always front-page news, yet here was a killer of half a million children every year, and most people couldn’t put a name to it, much less put a stop to it.

We have committed the vast majority of our assets to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help stop preventable deaths such as these, and to tear down other barriers to health and education that prevent people from making the very most of their lives. Our animating principle is that all lives have equal value. Put another way, it means that we believe every child deserves the chance to grow up, to dream and do big things.

We have been blessed with good fortune beyond our wildest expectations, and we are profoundly grateful. But just as these gifts are great, so we feel a great responsibility to use them well. That is why we are so pleased to join in making an explicit commitment to the Giving Pledge.

The idea of the pledge came out of discussions we had with other givers about what they were doing, about what had worked in philanthropy and what had not worked. Everyone shared how giving had made their lives richer.  Everyone who attended was inspired by listening to the others’ passion and encouraged to do even more.

For the two of us, because we see amazing progress every day, but also, how much more work remains, we’re honored to be a part of this pledge effort.

For example, to us, vaccines are miracles, tiny vessels of hope and promise. And the world has made progress in vaccinating millions of children. But there are still millions more who die of preventable diseases.

So we want to make sure lifesaving vaccines reach everyone who needs them, and that the world develops new vaccines.

We’ve seen similar progress in America’s education system. We have visited schools that are breaking down old barriers and preparing every child for college and life. These are great schools—but there are not nearly enough of them. Now the task is to make sure that every student gets the same opportunity to succeed in college and in life.

Both of us were fortunate to grow up with parents who taught us some tremendously important values. Work hard. Show respect. Have a sense of humor. And if life happens to bless you with talent or treasure, you have a responsibility to use those gifts as well and as wisely as you possibly can. Now we hope to pass this example on to our own children.

We feel very lucky to have the chance to work together in giving back the resources we are stewards of.  By joining the Giving Pledge effort, we’re certain our giving will be more effective because of the time we will spend with this group.  We look forward to sharing what a wonderful experience this has been for us and learning from the experience of others.

Best Wishes,

Bill and Melinda Gates

Bill and Melinda Gates