Social and Personal Responsibility of the Rich - Essay Sample

Introduction

An intriguing train of thought from the philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie purports that the rich have a social duty to their society. This line of thinking is not cast on stone, it, however, stands in as a moral compass for the wealthy; by indirectly forcing their hand into charitable ventures. For the rich to satisfy their social and individual responsibility they can choose to follow some of these ideas. The wealthy individual is simply an agent of the poor people, put up measures that will benefit those seeking to better their status, and learn that their wealth is a gift that they need to give back to the society in one way or another.

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The first duty of the rich is to ensure the grandiose possessions do not outweigh the effort towards helping those around him. This is the reason individuals on the Forbes list start charity foundations such as the Bill Gates Foundation. Through these avenues exemplifies them as men of the people. Thus, a rich person is an ambassador of the poorer ones around them and as a result, should stand in for them aptly.

Secondly, there is a common phrase among Christians that God only helps those who help themselves. Carnegie certainly correlates his idea to this context and that is why he opened up thousands of libraries for his workers to empower themselves via education. This idea shuns hand out but instead offers the less fortunate a chance to enrich themselves. Through this, the living standards of the individuals in question will certainly improve.

The gap between the poor and the rich will always remain. The rich however have a social responsibility to serve the community as far as they can. The most common ways are through charity organizations and endeavors, sponsoring less fortunate students through bursary funds is also a significant way of bridging this gap that will never be filled. We can only make so much money and that is the reason those who are fortunate to make billions of dollars stand in as hope for their community.

The rich are at a better position than the poorer not only in terms of financial gains but also in terms of experiences, interacting with different cultures and accumulating acquired tastes. This is the reason Carnegie believes that he and the rest of individuals with stupendous wealth needed to use their positions to improve the community. Since the rich have accumulated significant wealth, they ought to look at their state as one they could use to fulfill their individual responsibility.

In this contemporary America acts of charity are significantly evident because the top two most philanthropic individuals are Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Warren Buffet has given out slightly more than 45% of his fortune to charity while his counterpart Bill gates have dedicated an average of 22% of his possessions to charitable efforts; within the last six years. These efforts largely help the community become a better place.

There is a huge concern for what happens to the money that billions donate. Analysis from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for instance, shows that the principles of the foundation are guided by America Corporate laws. These laws do not coincide with the idea of social responsibility because the efforts done by the foundation benefits the interests of Corporate Heads. what this does is, instead of individuals benefiting, head of corporations continue with their agenda while stroking their egos.

Conclusion

Overall, you can view the idea of social and individual responsibility through different lenses. We have seen that there is definitely a downside towards the huge donations that the wealthy give. However, pros outweigh the cons and as such the society has placed subtle rules that function as a call to actions for each wealthy individuals.