Admission: Gates ain’t no boogeyman

As a Mac enthusiast I’ve had occasion to resent Bill Gates’ influence over the computer world. Let’s face it, his products may be nearly ubiquitous, but they’re about as exciting as a Chevy Impala (only less reliable). In the event that you happen to be a Chevy enthusiast – be honest with yourself. If asked, “if you could have any car, what would it be?” How many people would wistfully reply, “oooh, that Chevy Impala is sweet!”

Am I wrong about the Impala? After all, it was the Fleet car of the year in 2006! Few things correlate to “sexy” like “company car.”

OOOO, look at IE7! Boy, I’d like to click it’s buttons.

Kidding aside, I must give Bill his due. Sure he’s ammassed great wealth, but people should be judged by more than how rich they are. Someone told me recently that wealth means nothing – it’s how you get there and what you do once you’re there that means something. There are lots of people who get rich either by luck or by dubious means, and there are countless others that do nothing but accumulate more once they have it. By all accounts Bill is a smart guy and a cunning buisnessman who worked hard to get where he is. Sure, he may have been in the right place at the right time – so luck may have had something to do with his success. But just as importantly, to me anyway, he and his wife have shown themselves to be good people, given what they’ve done with what they’ve earned.

Rich people start charitable foundations left and right – so often I sometimes wonder if it’s more ego trip than true empathy. From what I hear, Bill and his wife apply themselves to their charitable work just as much (if not more so) than they did to their “for profit” work. For that I’ve got to give them credit.

Not only is it a ray of optimism in this cynical world, but it truly gives us something to aspire to.

Give the gift of words.