I suspect that Bill Gates is not happy about his Legacy as the Richest Man in The World. It appears as though he would prefer it to read that he was the greatest humanitarian of all time. Maslow followers would assume that his self-interest survival instincts brought him great wealth, and that now his philanthropy is the result of his self-actualization or perhaps his Peak Experience. Freudians might suspect that Mr. Gates’ driving motivation is wealth and his humanitarianism is to feed his super-ego, but I would like to believe that his motivation is to be a great humanitarian and that by keeping his eye on this goal it has driven him to great wealth as a result. Only his true friends know if his benevolence was proportionately ever-present throughout his rise, or if this is the Emperor’s New Clothes. But if I am correct in my optimism, then one is well served by contemplating their legacy and keeping it in sight at all times. Which do you think came first…the Chicken or the Egg (Values or Motivation)?
Bill Gates’ Tombstone:
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