Today's post is from guest author, Don Wong Jr.
I read Timothy Lee's article today describing Bill Gates' announcement that he would be turning his attention away from Microsoft and devoting himself full-time to philanthropy. In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Gates urges other world leaders to focus capitalism on benefiting the less-advantaged.
Many Americans who are not members of the world elite may be more concerned at this moment with pressing matters a little closer to home - like the "R" Word - Recession. While the experts disagree about whether we are actually in a recession, on the verge of recession, or lucky to have narrowly avoided recession, only time will tell.
In his post, Lee contrasts Gates to another American Philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, and to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey. Whereas Carnegie distinguished his business and his philanthropy, Gates and Mackey see the two as linked. Mackey argues that, "businesses have obligations to customers, employees, shareholders, and the broader communities where they reside."
Which brings me to the "R" Word I prefer to focus on - Responsibility. Whether we are in a recession, or not, it's not hard to see that this year will be difficult for many of the less-advantaged individuals and families in our community. There will be no shortage of opportunities to share our time and resources. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and holocaust survivor who spent time at Auschwitz and Dachau, inspires me:
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
Don Wong Jr. is a serial entrepreneur focused on telecommunications and real estate development. He previously served as Vice President for the Asian Pacific Fund, a community foundation serving the needs of Bay Area residents. Don is the Founder and Managing Member of David Ltd., a real estate development consulting firm providing real estate development services to major wireless communications companies. Prior to starting David Ltd., he served as in-house counsel to one of the national carriers and was a management consultant. Don is a member of the State Bar of California and a California Real Estate Broker.
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