Tolstoy on the good works of the rich

[yurbud]

I have often thought that if the rich (or anyone) did their business ethically, looked after the welfare of their employees, didn't pollute the environment, etc., it would have a greater positive impact on society than all their showy acts of charity. Tolstoy takes that idea a bit further.

I sit on a man's back, choking him, and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by any means possible, except getting off his back.

Leo Tolstoy, Writings on Civil Disobedience and Nonviolence

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. but if they did business ethically, and looked after their employees...

they wouldn't be so fithly rich, now would they? Can't have that! :eyes:

[yurbud]

3. someone once told me you get rich by....

Paying less for people and things than they are worth and selling them for more than they are worth.

A truly ethical employer would just break even.

[rpannier]

2. Quality...pure quality

Great quote

[burythehatchet]

4. Just coincidentally, I read another one of his classics just now

...though totally unrelated

happy families are all the same. dysfunctional families are dysfunctional in their own unique way

[yurbud]

5. every journey begins with 12 steps...

[987654321]

6. ...showy acts of charity.

I'm glad you mentioned that part. I've volunteered for a lot of different charities and one that was one thing that always bothered me. In order to get people of modest means to financially support a cause, you just had to hope that they felt it was a worthy cause and that they had the extra money to spare. With those there, they would most often give whatever they could.

However, when you wanted to get donations from the very wealthy, you had to buy them things, trinkets like little pens, day planners, decorative stuff, etc. Then you had to make sure that you put out their name somewhere publicly so others knew they donated. And lastly, you had to have some kind of social event, a ball or fancy dinner, and give these large donors awards for their financial help.

Funny thing was that in the end, those of modest means almost always gave a greater percentage of what they had, in time as well as money, than the wealthy. The wealthy, for the most part, seemed to give for the public recognition, and I hated the fact that we had to spend money on them to get them to donate. It was deemed "acceptable', but to me it was immoral.

[yurbud]

7. I figured this out in college when dorms had names like Fartbaum

that was one thing I liked in the New Testament. Jesus said when you do your acts of charity not to even let your right hand know what your left hand is doing instead of announcing it on a street corner. That is probably in the top three ignored commandments though, along with turn the other cheek and give ALL your stuff to the poor.

[walldude]

8. You nailed this one... I used to do work for charity events

and it never ceased to amaze me how rich folks would pat themselves on the back for spending half a million dollars on a party to raise $50,000 for charity...