ThriveWisely

Sometimes Charlie Rose has the best guests on his show.  Last night featured Richard Branson–adventure-seeker, entrepreneur, knight, ba-jillionaire, and philanthropist.  He has the most amazing view of wealth and capitalism–one that really puts into check a lot of the stories I have held about money.  His take is that the wealth he has accumulated places him in a unique position to give back–with a very large responsibility to do so.

So, one of his latest ventures is to support the formation of a group called The Elders, which he conceived of with Peter Gabriel.  The Elders’ mission?  To travel to areas of conflict or suffering around the world and offer their voices and their counsel to encourage solutions that honor humanity.  That’s my summary and I hope it does them justice.  Who makes up the elders?  Among others, Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and Jimmy Carter (how I love that guy).  What an amazing mix of luminaries!  Just the thought of it practically has me in tears.  How lovely to see a return to honoring the collective wisdom of this group who have seen and experienced so much during their lifetimes.  How lucky for the world that this group exists to promote peace and human rights.

That’s my inspiration for the day!