Dalawang araw ang nakalipas, nasa China ako, nakikipag-usap sa isang grupo ng mga maimpluwensyang pinuno ng negosyo. Ang isa sa kanila ay nagbigay ng hamon: "Nagsalita ka tungkol kay Vinoba Bhave , ang espirituwal na tagapagmana ni Gandhi, at kung paano siya lumakad ng 80K kilometro sa buong India at nagbigay inspirasyon sa mga tao na mag-abuloy ng 5 milyong ektarya sa kanilang mga kapitbahay. Oo, maaaring ito ay isang hindi pa nagagawang tagumpay sa kasaysayan ng sangkatauhan, ngunit sa totoo lang, gaano karaming mga tao ang naaalala niya si Vinoba ngayon at ang mga taong naiwan ni Steve, sa halip,." Mula sa panandaliang epektong pananaw, isa itong maalalahaning problema.
Sa katunayan, ang Forbes magazine ay gumawa ng isang piraso na sumasalamin sa katulad, na nagtatanong ng tanong: "Sino ang higit na nagpabago sa mundo: Bill Gates o Mother Teresa?" At tinapos nila si Bill Gates. Ang tugon ko sa industriyalistang ito, gayunpaman, ay isang totoong kuwento na nangyari ilang linggo na ang nakakaraan sa isang paaralan malapit sa Pune. I asked the same question to them: who do you want to be paglaki mo -- Bill Gates or Mother Teresa? Kadalasan mga 60-80% sa kanila ang boboto kay Bill Gates, ngunit dito, karamihan sa kanila ang nagsabi ni Mother Teresa. Kaya sinubok ko pa. Bakit? Habang nagsimulang magtaas ng kamay ang mga tao, isang mahiyaing batang babae -- siguro 11 taong gulang -- ang nagtaas ng kamay, nag-alinlangan, at pagkatapos ay ibinaba ito. Nang makita ko iyon, hinikayat ko siyang magsalita, at ang kanyang tugon ay lubos na nabalisa sa akin.
"Sir, ginamit ni Bill Gates ang kapangyarihan ng pera para baguhin ang mundo, at ginamit ni Mother Teresa ang kapangyarihan ng pag-ibig para baguhin ang mundo. At sa tingin ko ang pag-ibig ay mas makapangyarihan kaysa sa pera."
Katapusan ng kwento. Ito ay simple, malinaw, elegante at spot-on na hindi na ito nangangailangan ng karagdagang mga tugon mula sa klase.**
Ang pagtatapos ng kwentong iyon ay simula ng isang mapangahas na posibilidad. Alinsunod sa tema ng ating pagtitipon, ang Impossible Dream ko, at isa na sigurado akong ibinabahagi nating lahat, ay isang mundo kung saan itinataas natin ang diwa ng pag-ibig na ito mula sa emosyonal na hanay ng Bollywood hanggang sa mas malakas na espirituwal na hanay ng ating mga puso. Bilang sangkatauhan, naunawaan natin ang intellectual quotient (IQ), at maging ang emotional quotient (EQ) ngunit ang kailangan ng mundo ngayon ay CQ - Compassion Quotient. Ito ay isang katalinuhan ng puso. Mahigit isang dekada na ang nakalilipas, natuklasan ng mga neuroscientist na, sa pisikal na pagsasalita, may mga neuron hindi lamang sa ating utak kundi pati na rin sa ating puso. Tulad ng sinabi sa amin ni Kabir at ng maraming pantas: Buksan ang iyong puso at maaari itong maglaman ng buong sansinukob!
Ang aming pinakamalaking pag-asa para sa paggising sa aming kolektibong compassion quotient ay nagmumula - mga bata! Mga batang tulad ng 11 taong gulang na iyon na intuitively alam na kung ikaw ay naantig ng pag-ibig, maaari mong ilipat ang mga bundok. Sa pakikipag-usap kay Dr. Maria Montessori, sinabi ito ni Gandhi nang napakalinaw, "Sa unang bahagi ng aking buhay, natuklasan ko na kung nais kong mapagtanto ang Katotohanan, dapat kong sundin, kahit ang kabayaran ng aking buhay, ang batas ng pag-ibig. At nang mabiyayaan ako ng mga anak, natuklasan ko na ang batas ng pag-ibig ay pinakamainam na matututunan sa pamamagitan ng maliliit na bata."
Ang bagay tungkol sa batas na ito ng pag-ibig ay mayroon itong kalahating buhay na malayo, mas malaki kaysa sa batas ng mga bagay-bagay. Ang epekto nito ay tumatagal ng maraming henerasyon. Ang inspirasyon mula sa aming mga gadget ay nagiging impormasyon lamang, minsan sa loob ng ilang minuto. Ngunit kapag ang parehong inspirasyon ay inihatid sa amin sa pamamagitan ng isang taong naglalakad sa pagsasalita na iyon, pinapagana nito ang impormasyon sa isang konteksto ng vibrational aliveness. Ito ay sumasalamin sa kaibuturan ng ating kamalayan. At ito ang dahilan kung bakit, sa mahabang panahon, ang batas ng mga bagay ay walang pagkakataon laban sa batas ng pag-ibig. Ang gawaing pinakikilos ng pag-ibig, gaano man kaliit at kababa, ay may walang hanggang kabilang buhay.
Ilang taon na ang nakalilipas, nagpunta kami ng aking asawa sa isang paglalakad na peregrinasyon . Nagsimula kami sa Gandhi Ashram sa Gujarat at naglakad patimog; kumain kami ng kahit anong pagkain na inaalok at natutulog kung saan man lugar na inoffer. Ito ay isang eksperimento na radikal na nagbago ng aming buhay. Sa daan, ang isang bagay na paulit-ulit naming nakatagpo ay ang mga ripples ng batas ng pag-ibig, lalo na mula kina Gandhi at Vinoba na madalas tumahak sa parehong mga landas. Sa isang pagbisita sa isang maliit na nayon sa lugar, napagtanto ni Gandhi na 6PM na - na siyang oras ng pagdarasal niya. Namamasyal siya sa bukid, kasama ang ilang matatanda, ngunit agad siyang naupo roon para magdasal. Medyo nataranta, nagtipon ang mga matatanda ng ilang mga tao na nagkataong nasa malapit.
Isa sa kanila si Govardhan Patel. Siya ay nasa ikalimang baitang noon, ang kanyang ina ay namatay noong siya ay 2 taong gulang, at ang kanyang ama ay may polio; hindi siya gaanong interesado kay Gandhi. Gayunpaman, tulad ng gusto ni serendipity, tahimik siyang nakaupo roon habang nagdarasal si Gandhi. At may nagbago. Nakibahagi siya sa talumpati ni Gandhi sa gabi, at nang araw ding iyon ay nagpasiya siyang ialay ang kanyang buong buhay sa paglilingkod. Nang makilala namin siya, siya ay isang hinog na 82-taong-bata at malakas pa rin, na binago hindi lamang ang kanyang nayon kundi dose-dosenang iba pa.
Mayroong maraming mga kuwento tulad niya, halimbawa ng Nagardas Shrimali. Sa isang istasyon ng tren, habang si Gandhi ay dumaraan lamang, sa gitna ng karamihan ng mga tao, sumigaw siya: "Bapu, ano ang dapat kong gawin sa aking buhay?" Sabi ni Bapu, "Pumunta ka at ituro ang iyong mga pagpapahalaga sa ibang mga batang katulad mo." Si Shrimali ay 16 noong panahong iyon, mula sa araw na iyon hanggang sa kanyang huling hininga, si Nagardas - na "hindi mahipo" -- inialay ang kanyang buhay sa pagtuturo sa mga bata.
Ang tunay na inspirasyon ay may mahabang buhay pagkatapos. At aking mga kaibigan, kailangan nating buhayin muli itong batas ng pag-ibig sa loob natin, at sa loob ng ating pinakadakilang pag-asa -- ang ating mga anak, ang susunod na henerasyon.
Gusto kong tapusin sa totoong kwento.
Maraming taon na ang nakararaan, ang aking mahal na kaibigang si Jacob Needleman ay nagtuturo sa isang klase sa San Francisco State University, at nagtanong siya sa kanyang klase ng tatlumpung estudyante. "Paano tayo magiging mabuti?" Isang estudyante ang nagtaas ng kamay at nagsabing, "Natutunan ko ang kabutihan sa aking 5-taong-gulang na anak na lalaki." Ipinaliwanag pa niya: "Nag-enjoy kami ng anak ko sa Pasko sa Mexico, dahil tuwang-tuwa siyang naglalaro ng mga laruang natanggap niya noong nakaraang gabi. Dumating ang isang bata mula sa kalapit na slum, at sinabi ko sa anak ko na ibigay sa kanya ang isa sa kanyang mga laruan. Pagkatapos ng ilang pagsusumamo at pagluha, sa wakas ay pumayag siya at pumili ng laruan. Ang pinakagusto niyang laruan!" Sa isang vintage Mufasa-Simba na sandali mula sa Lion King, tiningnan ng ama ang kanyang 5 taong gulang sa mga mata at sinabing, "Hindi, anak, hindi ang laruang iyon. Ibigay mo sa kanya ang iyong paboritong laruan."
Sa puntong ito, ang anak na lalaki ay likas na tumututol, ngunit pagkatapos ay tumingin sa mahigpit-pa-mahabagin na tingin ng kanyang ama, nagmamakaawa siyang pumunta sa pintuan upang ibigay ang kanyang paboritong laruan. Natural, naisip ng ama na kailangan niyang aliwin ang kanyang anak sa kanyang pagbabalik; narito at narito, labis na ikinagulat niya, ang anak ay bumalik na may paglukso sa kanyang hakbang. Sa pagiging inosente na angkop sa isang 5-taong-gulang, tinitigan niya ang kanyang Ama sa mga mata at sinabing, "Itay, nakakamangha iyon. Magagawa ko ba itong muli?"
Ito ang batas ng pag-ibig, at nawa'y patuloy nating gawin itong muli at muli at muli.
** Mula nang isulat ang artikulong iyon, inihagis ni Bill Gates ang kanyang lakas sa paggalugad din ng iba pang dimensyon ng epekto.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
SHARE YOUR REFLECTION
36 PAST RESPONSES
It is NOT fair to say Bill Gates used ONLY the power of money to change the world. Love is what moves money to the right and human direction. How many rich people this world have? Where are they from what the Gates are doing?
Mother Theresa was once asked by a reporter why she didn't try to change the political system in India rather than perpetuate it with her charity. Her answer was so simple and I never forgot it. "That's not my job." I think each of us has a role. We can't do it all but whatever we are personally suppose to do may we each do it with the most Love we can spare...
Javed Akhtar has a lovely poem where he expresses the sentiment that he dare not ask Mother Teresa the question of why she never questions the system that keeps perpetuating the poverty when she accepts the donations from the leaders (such as Bill Gates) of the system that condemns so much of humanity for so long to such abject and inhumane poverty. The poet concludes that he dare not ask such a question for by asking it he will have to assume responsibility for his own role in the system. To walk and trample others or to not walk and be trampled..... such are the choices that so many of our modern systems confine us to.
Nice article. But, I don't understand the human need to compare, judge, classify, analyze and finally try and reduce down to a factoid or truth that is then expected to be unassailable.How do you measure impact objectively that every living being, atleast sentient beings can all sign off. Therefore, celebrate everything and be inspired by all those unknown, unsung heroes each of us encounter in our lives- if we only learn to look and learn.
If we dig deeper, we can find many negative points to worry about both Gates and yes Mother Theresa as well (Christopher Hitchens et al). I like Ana's views on this as well.
Both r great in my eyes&mind, but it is in different way, one was mainly for religious site, also so kind hearted her contribution for each person of the world, Another one is richest one also mankind oriented, i appreciate him in this regard, i m from bangladesh in asia, i m a social worker, i m sending him my web links, i m asking him for share with my little works, also m asking him to pay a visit my country, my works,http://www.helpingothers.cl...,
https://secure.avaaz.org/en...
Please see this
http://www.activistpost.com...
Bill Gates is a firm believer in eugenics. This is why he is pushing toxic vaccines in third world countries... he is no humanitarian. Sorry for the not-so-positive comment, but I don't like giving credit to people who mean the entire globe harm. I've read some horror stories about Mother Theresa, as well. But, I agree. We should all strive to make the world a better place. Thanks for sharing!
We are encouraged to leave this world just a little bit better than we found it. We are taught to leave the wood pile just a little bit bigger than we found it. I thank Bill and his wife for caring enough to share and leave this world just a little bit better.
Here's a good article that puts some balance into the Mother Teresa myth. I've spent some time in Calcutta and also found she is not a popular figure there.
http://mukto-mona.net/Artic...
I'm sure Bill Gates is no saint either, but at least some of the benefits of his work are visible among the criticisms. But the main point is that the author's walking pilgrimage across India is a great story! Always best to stick to what you know.
I read the walking pilgrimage and found it quite inspiring. But I think the mention of Mother Teresa is seriously misplaced. Her idea of love was that the people at her centres would find Jesus through suffering. Although they have changed since her death, she didn't even give them anti-malarials, and the vast donations were spent either on opening new centres that worked the same way at negligible cost or filling the coffers of Rome. When people offered to donate stuff that wasn't hard cash, they were generally refused. This has been documented in a number of books (for instance,
The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice), and admittedly some of them are anti-Catholic, but the data and reference material available as proof is mostly incontrovertible. With regards Bill Gates, I am sure his philanthropy started to improve his image (which was very poor at the time) and he was maybe tiring of Microsoft. But love him or hate him, the protocols he has set up for dispensing funds are carefully data-led. This means that charities are held very accountable (most charities in the world are not) and that funds - for instance to fight aids - are not hedged with religious paraphernalia such as GW Bush's disastrous funds-with-strings that prevented countries accepting help unless they promoted abstinence over condom use.
I am a great fan of dailygood.org, but tossing 'feelgood' names in the mix without first knowing the facts could considerably erode its credibility and effectiveness.
[Hide Full Comment]Truly, it's not an either or.
both of them did a great job in transforming the world. The inventions of Bill Gates help us cope with the world today and the compassion of Mother Teresa help us treat each other fairly. We need to emulate both of them instead of taking sides.
I hate the fact that they're comparing how good two fantastic people are...why! They both serve as icons for people of different positions in life that serve others in their own way. Mother Theresa gave all of herself to care for others. She was awesome. Bill Gates and his wife are fantastic people...how many rich guys genuinely care and spend so much time helping others and such a massive scale? Even if it were true that Gates had some agenda to push GMOs, vaccines, and Monsanto, many people don't consider this immoral. It's not like he is supporting Hitler and the genocide of the Children of Israel...so back off and grow up.
Actually its debatable over whether Mother Teresa actually did that much good, check out these two articles: http://www.patheos.com/blog...
[Hide Full Comment]http://motherteresawasafrau... As for the Bill Gates argument, the only thing he has ever said in regards to population control (as far as I'm aware) is that “The world today has 6.8 billion people. That’s heading up to about nine billion. Now if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by perhaps 10 or 15 percent.” To me this simply suggests that naturally, as health care and reproductive services improve, the birth rate will decrease. I don't see it as a reason for mass hysteria and a reason to call him evil. I was once a believer in conspiracy theories and I would like to stress the importance of checking out both sides of an argument before you come to any conclusions. If you really want to know if Gates is a good person or not, read both the good and the bad things people have to say about him, then make up your mind.
I prefer to think that Bill Gates has both love and money.
Inspiring Article. One of my favorite quote I read in an elevator in the hospital many years ago is "Smile, it does not cost you anything, but you might get one back." Power of Love can grow exponentially.
Bill Melinda Gates foundation is following the footsteps of Rockfeller foundation (promoters of CGIAR & Syngenta - which controls - world's agriculture in many ways; Syngenta - GM seed co.). Bill Melinda Gates foundation has alloted significant portions of their so called "philanthropy" funds towards GM/GE propagation in Africa along with Rockefeller foundation and their Agriculture lending banks in Kenya and thru CGIAR arms also with Syngenta (a GM Seeds co.)
After 75 years of so called "philanthropy" the funds of Rockefeller foundation has not decreased a bit and ensured a luxury life and government patronage for the entire John-D familytree for many generations. Bill Gates' idea of "philanthropy" is no wonder similar - people simply got carried away by few peanuts given by him for Malaria, poverty aliviation - actual agenda is something else. The foundation invests heavily into the stocks of Bio-Technology firms...
I'm an Organic farmer for the past 4 years - formally I was a Wealth mangement technology guy - thus I have a good inside view of both.
[Hide Full Comment]Thank you for this Wonderful and inspiring article. May we all strive to be of service and to share whatever gift we have been given. Compassion Quotient is Imperative. Live by LOVE, indeed; it has positively impacted my life in ways beyond expressing. In 2005, I sold my home and possessions to create/facilitate a volunteer literacy project in Belize, I've donated programs for 33,340 students & trained 800 teachers to use their own indigenous stories in schools. This year the program is invited to Kenya, Ghana and India, I will go. I'm working hard to raise the funds, I am not sure How it will work out, but I have faith it Will because my goal is to build bridges between cultures, foster understanding and Compassion through our stories. I work often with children, they teach me more than I've ever taught them. We would do well to listen to children more for solutions to world problems and to see REAL compassion.
I also share FREE HUGS worldwide, the connections that occur in moment of embrace are powerful, deep and life altering. Thank you for remind us how important LOVE and Compassion are. HUG and <3, Kristin
[Hide Full Comment]Both charitable giving and loving are good. indeed, sharing money is a form of love. Jesus spoke about it a lot. 2nd only to describing the empire of God, money (and our relationship to it) was the subject that Jesus spoke about most!
Another worthy dynamic to consider is the alleged "justice vs. charity" matter. See: http://www.patheos.com/blog...
I wholeheartedly agree with Lisa, bad spelling or not. Bill Gates is handing out Monsanto nonreproductive genetically modified seeds (Frankinseeds) to millions around the world in the name of charity. Next planting season there will be no seeds to plant from this year's crop.
This is not coming from a place of love.
I have to admit I almost didn't open the article because Bill Gates name was in the heading, but I did and am so elated about the opportunity to embrace the amazing stories highlighted in the piece. I am also in total agreement with Lisa and her sentiments, and my perspective is that the Gates Foundation is in constant conflict with and embraces degrading reform and 'grant' practices toward public education teachers and our efforts to address the needs of all children in our care. And, his GMO ideas have made their way into the foods that are sacred to many of the indigenous peoples around the world, threatening the health of these precious bodies and souls, all in the name of 'progress' by inserting genetics for increased 'nutritional value' and implied 'increased yield'-in essence polluting an entire way of life.
This is a great article. It opens our eyes to possibility. It's unfortunate that we are compelled to judge and condem the efforts of others when they do not line up with our own beliefs. So many people are helped by efforts we do not agree with. There will never be a time when we get it perfect so we should always be thankful that people at least try.
Very touching. All this leaves us with a sense of confidence and hope for Humanity.
Nipun, I enjoyed your article today. It reminded me of how, in their later years, Mother Theresa and John D. Rockefeller looked very much alike, with deep lines in their weathered faces. The difference was that JDR's eyes were the eyes of a dead man: the richest man on earth had eyes with no life or vitality, only cold calculation. MT's eyes were alive and engaging, even tho she'd seen enough human suffering to drive anyone else mad. Who died richer?
Where I would give a tip of the hat to Gates, tho, is that he is looking for root causes of poverty, while MT would never touch that area. She would treat the poor, but never concerned herself with the structural causes of poverty.
And a final thought, the irony and the tragedy of so many institutional religions is that while the founders taught the law of love, in time the institutions are often taken over by lawyers and bureaucrats who practice a love of the law.
Too
much credence is given to the relevance of that initial question posed
by the Indian industrialist. Taken to it's logical extreme, the
question could well be "Who has changed the world more: Adolf Hitler, or
Mother Teresa?"
It's absurd, of COURSE. The question to be contemplated by our
children /youth (or at least suggested for consideration by us) is WHAT
do you want to change. How MUCH is irrelevant, and as you see can
become quite absurd.
Too much credence is given to the relevance of that initial question posed by the indian industrialist. Taken to it's logical extreme, the question could well be "Who has changed the world more: Adolf Hitler, or Mother Teresa?"
It's absurd, of COURSE. The question to be contemplated by our children /youth (or at least suggested for consideration by us) is WHAT do you want to change. How MUCH is irrelevant, and as you see can become quite absurd.
Each of us has the opportunity to make a difference. Thank you for the article, Nipun. I enjoy reading your articles.
I agree with Lisa. Gates is into population control, not saving or helping humanity. Do the research and see.
Jobs had tumor in shape of his ear piece when he died..that is legacy they leave as accumulating wealth without accepting accountability is trashing planet, health, well being...Gates and Allen, Jobs are known because they supplied energy to the old paradigm of wealth making over all ...and the trajectory becomes nihilistic (M Meade) so too their legacy. Think about the press and who sponsors it, governments etc...waking to real values before there is nothing to save is the most important thing we can do, now before we really blow it as a species we can be so much more...how sad if we let the old paradigm define us.
Mother Teresa experienced 40 years
of darkness and doubt, yet she unwaveringly carried on her mission.
I am sorry to say this but Bill Gates promotes things that are distroying our invironment and the health of us and our children. GMO's, toxic vacines....Monsanto. He is saving alot of taxes on his giving indeavors yet human life should be at the front of his motivation that would be in the love of giving.
To understand the greatness of Mister gates, simply Google " YouTube gates vaccines".
If
Bill and Melinda Gates were not inspired by compassion they might be like so many
other billionaires, including many in India who do not use their resources to
make a difference in this world. Compassion and thoughtful allocation of
resources can do enormous good. The world should be grateful that enormous
generosity of spirit and compassion are prompting Bill and Melinda Gates to use
their resources for the betterment of the people of our world.
Beautiful - and let's give Bill Gates credit - he is giving his money and energies from a place of love.
I disagree that Bill Gates doesn't use love too. His methods may differ, he combined heart and mind using the resources he understands to achieve far reaching results. God creates diversity, wouldn't the world be better served by avoiding the polarizing views this article uses to make a point. They each gave in a way that was amazing, I am grateful that these great souls came to serve life.
Thank you for sharing , Mr Mehta , that was inspirational , The Power of Love .