Last night I was reminded, not once but twice, of the empowerment to be found in words of encouragement—felt the warm glow of optimism as a light at the end of a very cold, dark tunnel.
First, I was touched by a column I happened to read that was written by the editor of our small, local newspaper. There he put aside his own pride in order to let the struggling families in economically hard-hit Northern Michigan know that they're not alone in their financial misfortunes. He shared his own story and his message that there is help out there if only you've the courage to now put aside your own pride and just ask for help.
Then at 9 PM ET, CNBC broadcast a special town hall meeting held at Columbia University. There to take questions and speak to business students from the school were two of the wealthiest and most influential business leaders of our age, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.
[See the CNBC Transcript]
Several points they tried to hammer home really resonated with me. First and foremost, ethics is a lesson that is more effectively taught to our youngsters at home rather than as a course in a business school.
I'd like to add that I've found children learn best by example. If mom and dad think only about the business of the almighty dollar and the acquisition of personal wealth with scant regard for the ethical impact of their actions, Jr. probably isn't going to much care who he mows down while in hot pursuit of his own financial goals later in life.
We simply must advocate and nurture ethics and empathy in our children, because if they don't *get it* by the time they leave for college, they probably never will.
Also speaking on the spirit of capitalism and the subject of greed and the part it played in the recent financial crisis, Warren Buffet had to say:
When I finally drifted off to sleep last night, I felt very good about the promise and the future of our country and profoundly grateful for the everyday heroes among us with the courage to encourage.
~ Robin
First, I was touched by a column I happened to read that was written by the editor of our small, local newspaper. There he put aside his own pride in order to let the struggling families in economically hard-hit Northern Michigan know that they're not alone in their financial misfortunes. He shared his own story and his message that there is help out there if only you've the courage to now put aside your own pride and just ask for help.
Then at 9 PM ET, CNBC broadcast a special town hall meeting held at Columbia University. There to take questions and speak to business students from the school were two of the wealthiest and most influential business leaders of our age, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.
Several points they tried to hammer home really resonated with me. First and foremost, ethics is a lesson that is more effectively taught to our youngsters at home rather than as a course in a business school.
I'd like to add that I've found children learn best by example. If mom and dad think only about the business of the almighty dollar and the acquisition of personal wealth with scant regard for the ethical impact of their actions, Jr. probably isn't going to much care who he mows down while in hot pursuit of his own financial goals later in life.
We simply must advocate and nurture ethics and empathy in our children, because if they don't *get it* by the time they leave for college, they probably never will.
Also speaking on the spirit of capitalism and the subject of greed and the part it played in the recent financial crisis, Warren Buffet had to say:
"It certainly played a part. We have always had greed. That didn't get invented in the last few years. And greed, fear in the third quarter -- I mean, the American people were really panicked there for a while. And it affected their -- it started out on Wall Street but then spilled over into the general economy subsequently. But we're never going to get rid of greed. We're never going to get rid of fear. What we do have is a system, as Bill said, a market system where we have the quality of opportunity and the rule of law combined to unleash human potential in this country over the last couple of hundred years to the degree nobody would have believed possible a few centuries before that. There's nothing that's gone wrong with that system. Our economy was sputtering and still is sputtering some. But we've got the greatest engine ever devised. And it's just beginning. Greed will continue. Don't worry about that. What drives the American system is the quality of opportunity in a market system and the knowledge that when you get out of here [college], you're going to enjoy the fruits of the knowledge you have gained. And it will keep working."
When I finally drifted off to sleep last night, I felt very good about the promise and the future of our country and profoundly grateful for the everyday heroes among us with the courage to encourage.
~ Robin
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3 comments:
Sorry I missed this. It looks like it was very fascinating. Buffet's assessment is interesting to read. His optimism is encouraging.
Greed is definitely inherent in the capitalist system, which is why we have the counterweight of government regulation, I suppose. Other systems have greed as a major component as well, since greed is a part of human nature. Greed in a communist system, for example, exhibits itself in the underground economy rather than out in the open as it does in a capitalist system. Just two cents worth on my part.
What I admire most about Warren Buffet is the fact that he's bullish on the system and not afraid to say so. Oh yeah, AND he's willing to put his money where his mouth is.
:D
I watched a replay of this last night. It was very good. I hang on nearly every word of highly successful people when they speak, hoping that I will learn some things that I can put to good use--or at least have some new ideas launched in my direction.
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