The Giving Pledge

 Warren Buffett’s fame rests on his startling achievements as well as philanthropic activities. He made the first investment when 11 years old by purchasing stocks of Cities Service for $38 per piece. He made $175 per month by delivering The Washington Post every morning when he was 16 years old. He also sold collector stamps, used golf balls and buffed cars. By age of 16, he made a wealth of $53,000.

In 1958, he has lived in a 5-bedroom house instead of moving into mansions or vacation homes. He never invested in expensive cars. He strongly believed that a good father would not pass on his entire wealth to his children, rather the role of a good father is to make his kids independent and confident.

He dedicated a large sum of his wealth to support charitable works. He pledged 85% of his Berkshire Hathaway stocks to charitable foundations. He gave away 99% of his wealth to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With Gates, he founded ‘The Giving Pledge’ in 2009 which motivated billionaires to give away half of their fortunes to charities.

Too many of us hold on top our wealth to be used for our children. However, Buffett said, ‘I want to give my kids just enough so that they would feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they would feel like doing nothing’. He chose to pledge to give and share with those who need it.

It is okay to be aspirational but we must also be responsive to the realities of our fellow human beings. The pledge to give is a clear commitment to share our riches by choosing simple living and high thinking. Although, it was an appeal to billionaires, not all pledgers are billionaires. Let’s pledge to give!

Wealth will surely slip through Time’s sieve

Let’s choose simplicity and pledge to give!

- Pravin K Sabnis

Pretender

Pedro was told about someone claiming to be a writer on the basis of a yet to be published book. The accuser argued that the person was pretending to be a prolific writer when he had no original writing to show other than passing off copied work as his own. He accused the pretender of being a fraud.

Pedro calmly replied, ‘Let the book come out. If it is not original, we will know whether he is pretender or fraud.’ His friend was confused, ‘what is the difference?’ Pedro replied, ‘None really!’

As nouns the difference is that pretender is a person who professes beliefs and opinions that they do not hold while fraud is any act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved and/or unlawful gain. Hence every pretender is easily a fraud and vice versa.

There are so many who pretend to be writers, orators, trainers, journalists, historians, performers & even professionals who pretend that they are experienced and competent. They lay claim to what they have lifted from others without giving any credit. They bask in fake glory.

But the biggest fraud that a pretender plays is on himself. He either deludes himself or lives with the burden that you do not deserve what you have grabbed. Either way it is a bad thing. We must choose to align with integrity rather than false claims. For pretence or fraud is just a mask that will slip one day.

The fraud is on me too, when I pretend…

Success is shaky when integrity is bent!

- Pravin K Sabnis

Occasional Emotion

In India, Independence Day is celebrated on 15 August by wearing patriotism on our sleeves. Our clothes, our Facebook status, our group SMS and everything possible, proudly declares our pride in being an Indian. Almost all such publicly stated sentiments of patriotic pride are genuine and sincere.

However, it is pertinent to notice the same sentiment in the same people on 16^th of August! Many years back, on the day after Independence Day, photo-journalist, Rajtilak Naik captured a plastic tricolour flag lying amidst similarly discarded garbage irresponsibly thrown along the sides of a road. 

On Independence Day that same flag must have been held firmly by a patriotically charged person. Often, love for the country is a superficial mask worn on occasions. In fact, posturing through only superficial symbols pushes us away from the integrity and earnestness of our real sentiments.

True love for our country is not about feeling proud, rather it is about doing our country proud through responsible and responsive deeds. What we do or say on Independence Day is an occasional emotion. What we do or say on 16 August, and other days, is the real emotion confirmed by consistent actions.

Love should not be an occasional emotion

let’s back intention with consistent action!

- Pravin K Sabnis

Indigenous

International Day of World’s Indigenous People is celebrated on 9 August every year. It seeks to spread awareness about the indigenous population around the world and to protect their rights. The indigenous population across the world stays in close contact with nature in places that are home to around 80% of the world’s biodiversity

The day recognizes the contributions made by the indigenous people to protect the world’s environment. In India, the indigenous are known as Scheduled Tribes. They are called Adivasis to refer to them as original inhabitants. Many of them continue to deal with marginalisation, extreme poverty and other human rights violations.

The term is also used for plants and trees produced, growing, living, or occurring natively or naturally in a particular region or environment. Most plants and trees are distinct as they are rooted to the place they are born in. As the shoots go high, the roots dive deeper.

We must learn from the indigenous people to give back to our roots… our land, our environment and our culture. So easily we go astray and confirm that we are not indigenous. Let’s choose to follow the indigenous who stay connected with where they came from… an attitude of gratitude towards origins and a response to give back!

Look at the indigenous people, how they live

For everything received, they return to give!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

In Vino Veritas

First, Bacchus is mery, Wine moderately taken maketh men ioyfull; he is also naked; for, in vino veritas: drunkards tell all, and sometimes more then all.

— Abraham Fraunce, The third part of the Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch, 1592

In vino veritas is a Latin proverb, translation of a famous saying of the Greek philosopher Zenobio, which literally means: in wine is the truth. The first to take up the Latin version of the proverb was Pliny the Elder: ‘in vino veritas, in Aqua sanitas’, that is ‘in wine there is truth, in water health’.

Ideas, thoughts and opinions are already present in the person, but it is in wine that the veritas comes out: Man says what he thinks and exposes himself with less inhibitory brakes, supporting what he believes. On the contrary, ‘in Aqua sanitas’ indicates that rational decisions are made sober, when one has the lucidity to decide.

It is pertinent to note that wine is not the intoxicant for human beings. Power intoxicates too as does false pride and faulty posturing. It creates a complacency that forces the hidden truth to slip out. It is better to be clean, clear and upfront like water. Not to be intoxicated is a healthy choice.

We must choose to escape the intoxication that comes from pride, prejudice and posturing. These are the traits that lousy politicians display. They think that they can fool all the people all the time. But when they are intoxicated with a false sense of power, they make the truth slip and that leads to a fall from grace.   

Keep off the intoxication, lest in vino veritas

Better to be truly open, like in Aqua sanitas!

~ Pravin K Sabnis