A Call To Humility

The call goes out to the rich to come down from the heights and share with the poor. The call puts demands on them. There have been great entrepreneurs like Carnegie, Rowntree and Cadbury who gave away large sums to worthy causes and the poor and set up institutions and social enterprises and they are well remembered for it by more than the beneficiaries of it. People are always sceptical suspecting there is more to it, that it is nothing to them or that they could do more. Yet they may have always been generous in secret.

There are some safeguards against individuals becoming too rich and greedy. A progressive tax system, the Combined Code gives guidelines for the rewards for executives. The Nolan Commission sets out guidelines for standards in public life. The vision and mission of a venture can be kept alive and referred to in temptation. It can act like a light at the end of the tunnel. It is something to hold on to when things get tough. It can remind people of what they had in mind when they started.

Those who have secure social and economic positions have been known to become complacent. They think themselves rich and powerful yet in a way they are poor and pitiable. The many philanthropists and social entrepreneurs risked not only their money but their reputations as well as social rejection in taking up their social and philanthropic ventures. They have successful in using their talents in creating lasting ventures for social change.