How To Make A Difference Today

Written on November 30, 2007 by Tezza

Friday’s weekly guide to Life Balance from 4EvaYoung.com

Bill Gates probably ranks as one of the most famous university drop outs of all time. He famously ended his Harvard education short when he established the dominant and hugely successful company “Microsoft” back in his dorm room on campus. His empire has stretched to all corners of the globe and there is hardly a desktop computer that doesn’t run on a Microsoft operating system. He has been on the top of the world’s rich list for decades and in 2000 he set up the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In a Harvard Commencement Speech, Bill addresses his ongoing commitment to making a difference in the world and how we can all get involved.

1. Inequity Is A Problem We Can All Help To Solve

“But humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries – but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity – reducing inequity is the highest human achievement.” – Bill Gates

A UN report on world inequality finds that the richest 2 percent of adults own half the world’s assets. While we have seen considerable growth from countries like China and India in the past years there is still over 50% of the world’s population living on less than $2US a day. The first step to solving the inequity that continues to pervade our planet is to be willing to see the world from a wider lens. I think it is admirable that Bill’s foundation is guided in it’s belief that “every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world.”

2. Giving Begins With A Decision

“Imagine, just for the sake of discussion, that you had a few hours a week and a few dollars a month to donate to a cause – and you wanted to spend that time and money where it would have the greatest impact in saving and improving lives. Where would you spend it?” – Bill Gates

Not everyone is going to be able to give in the same capacity as Bill Gates but everyone can do something. We all have within us the resources and the inclination to do something if we make a decision today. It is because we think the problem is so big that we have falsely believed that we can’t possibly do anything.

However, we have seen the power of the collective in engaging to make a real difference in the world. In recent examples how the world rallies together to help those affected by major natural disasters like the Tsunami in South Asia. It is not that people aren’t giving, it is that most people don’t spend enough time thinking about where and how they could give. Buffett who throughout his life has always said that his vast fortune will one day go towards a philanthropic cause has announced that he has given away somewhere close to 85% of his wealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Imagine giving away 85% of your current wealth, it’s hardly an easy decision no matter if you have millions or just thousands. A popular way of giving is to tithe 10% of your income to a worthy cause, whether its to church, a charity or just somebody deserving.

3. You Have To Stand Up For Injustice

“If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not. We said to ourselves: “This can’t be true. But if it is true, it deserves to be the priority of our giving.” So we began our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We asked: “How could the world let these children die?”

The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system. But you and I have both.” – Bill Gates

We all want to believe that we have a right to life, to experience the joys and the heartaches. That we can all live in peace with hope for the future. Hope and experience is what life is made off. Yet for millions of children world wide the reality is far grimmer. Many won’t be alive long enough to experience the beauty of it all. Life is precious and every life should be valued.

4. Social Justice Can Be Sustainable

“If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this challenge will change the world.” – Bill Gates

We can all vote with our feet. We can demand more from our businesses and government. McDonald’s in the 80’s and 90’s used Styrofoam packaging for it’s burgers, when consumers created a backlash due to environmental concerns the business responded. Consumer power can have a massive impact on how businesses operate and how government can be held accountable. We need to demand more from them in terms of social responsibility. Social responsibility doesn’t have to mean lower productivity or profits. There are many sustainable ways we can approach this problem without it detrimentally affecting our standard of living.

5. Don’t Become Numb To The Suffering Of The World

“We don’t read much about these deaths. The media covers what’s new – and millions of people dying is nothing new. So it stays in the background, where it’s easier to ignore. But even when we do see it or read about it, it’s difficult to keep our eyes on the problem. It’s hard to look at suffering if the situation is so complex that we don’t know how to help. And so we look away.” – Bill Gates

There is a hope that we as individuals don’t drift through life while the world around us implodes. Consumerism and selfishness on the part of individuals has been allowed to exist for far too long at the expense of much of the world. We’ve advanced as developed nations at the expense of the masses and their suffering is easy to ignore and forget about when you don’t see a clear solution to it. The Gates Foundation funds a variety of health initiatives in the developing world, such as the search for vaccines for AIDS and malaria.

6. Begin With A Few Hours A Week

“In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue – a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don’t have to do that to make an impact. For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the Internet to get informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them.” – Bill Gates

The often unseen and unsung volunteers form the backbone of our society. Without the ongoing commitment of volunteers many social services we take for granted would simply cease to exist due to lack of funds. Some people are retired, others are students and more still are just everyday people with jobs giving a small portion of their time and skills to a worthy cause. The great thing about giving is that it can be any shape or from you desire, whatever you can give there are organizations that will be willing to accommodate and welcome you.

7. Make The Complex Simple And Attack It With Vigor

“Don’t let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on the big inequities. It will be one of the great experiences of your lives.” – Bill Gates

To read the full transcript of Bill Gates Commencement Speech

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