John D. Rockefeller (July 8, 1839–May 23, 1937), the founder of Standard Oil, was once the wealthiest man in the world. He was the world's first billionaire. He amassed a net worth of at least $1 billion in 1916. When Rockefeller died in 1937, his net worth was estimated to be approximately $340 billion today’s dollars.
By age 25, he had one of the largest oil refineries in the United States. He was 31 when he became the world's largest oil refiner. At 38, he controlled 90% of the oil refined in the United States. At fifty, John was America's richest man. As a young man, every action, attitude, and connection was crafted to establish his wealth.
But at the age of 53, he fell unwell. His entire body became wracked with pain, and he lost all his hair. In total anguish, the world's lone millionaire could buy anything he wanted but could only eat soup and crackers.
According to an associate, "He couldn't sleep, wouldn't smile, and nothing in life meant anything to him". His personal, highly trained physicians indicated that he would die within the year. That year passed painfully slowly. As he approached death, he awoke one morning with the faint understanding that he would not be able to bring any of his fortune with him to the next world.
The man who could dominate the commercial world suddenly realized he had no control over his personal life. He informed his solicitors, accountants, and management that he intended to devote his assets to hospitals, research, and charity work. John D. Rockefeller started his foundation.
The Rockefeller Foundation financed Howard Florey and his colleague Norman Heatley's penicillin research in 1941. But arguably, the most astounding aspect of Rockefeller's narrative is that when he began to give back a fraction of all he had gained, his body's chemistry changed dramatically, and he recovered.
He was expected to die at the age of 53, but he survived to reach 98 years old. Rockefeller learnt gratitude and returned the bulk of his money, making him whole. It's one thing to be healed. It is another to become fit. He was a devout Baptist who attended the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio.
Before he died, he wrote in his diary: "God taught me that everything belongs to Him, and I am merely a conduit to carry out His will. My life has been one long, happy holiday since then, full of work and play. I let go of my worries along the road, and God was wonderful to me every day". (Ijeoma Ikechukwu gives this short biography of J. D. Rockefeller. Source: Internet)
At first reading, there can be doubt if it is all a colossal exaggeration. Whatever the case, that personality existed; he was the wealthiest man and died very late at 98. History tells us that he launched a foundation which lasted for a long while, dedicating all his money to philanthropic objectives to benefit humanity and relieve its pains.
The example of a person only focused on amassing more and more underwent, we do not know how, a complete transformation when, in the middle of his physical decrepitude, he realized better the value of what he had gathered, equivalent to more than $340 bn in current value, and valuing nothing for his needs.
He adds more: when beginning to give back a fraction of all he had gained, his body's chemistry changed dramatically, and he recovered. "My life has been one long, happy holiday since then, full of work and play. I let go of my worries along the road, and God was wonderful to me every day."
With the independence of the money value, all of us, rich and less wealthy, must have asked ourselves: all the resources I have gathered, can I take them to the next world? Or that is to keep all here?
The whole world, India included, had seen battalions of wealthy entrepreneurs people who worked hard very intelligently, created millions of jobs for people to sustain themselves and their families, gave them instruction and healthcare, and created more wealth for the Society with the products they made and sold to people who found it helpful.
It seems that the great majority of those wealthy and entrepreneurial people very soon understood that wealth by itself was nonsense and that the wealth accumulated, may it be food and vegetables, fruits, or manufactured products for health, the only sense of theirs was to do good to all others in need.
And it is much better to distribute during life -giving a helping hand to needy people than doing it through the will after death, being helpful to the neighbours and those with skills and intellectual preparation to discover new Pharma products to make life more enjoyable and happy for all.
Great philanthropists and charity ideas and deeds have appeared throughout all the centuries we have lived. And continue surging worldwide when there is sensitivity to identify necessary solutions. Millions have dedicated their lives to helping others with vulnerabilities to make their life more humane.
According to Henley & Partners, India has 326,400 millionaires, 1,044 centi-millionaires, and 120 billionaires. India is expected to see a 110% increase in wealth per capita by 2033.
I want to leave an idea for all those 326,400 millionaires and all others. Each of the millionaires has a place of birth, a village where he grew up and socialized with many children his age, where he went to school and learned a lot with his companions.
I suggest that each millionaire adopt their village or district of origin to do something meaningful for the older and youngsters. For example, installing a good health centre with the principal diagnosis equipment; instigate the creation of schools needed in that area, more or less specialized, to teach the old and new ones the arts of doing fabrics, paintings, batiques, etc.
And put Centres of Culture where people can read newspapers and books, listen to music, make groups of Chorus, etc. Older people like to paint but need an introduction and materials to produce works of art.
And foster the creation of a gymnasium and multi-sports fields for the young people to practice there. And other improvements typical of the place, like gardens, respond to its needs. Indeed, all you do will continue from the part of others who identified with your concerns about creating resources at your place of origin serving Society. Starting with little, when you see the impact of what you did on the village populations, you'll feel the need to do, to give more.
(The Author is Professor at AESE-Business School (Lisbon), at I.I.M. Rohtak (India), author of The Rise of India)