Bill Gates (Wikipedia)

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.” (“Brainy”). In Emerson’s statement, being rich is not defined as to how much things you have but by how much you have donated or given away. William H. Gates, also known as the renowned “Bill” Gates, clearly defines what it means to be literally “rich” and morally “rich”. Born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington, Gates grew from a being a local inventor to one of the most renowned person in the world (“Gates- World of Invention”). In 1991, Gates was ranked number three on the Forbes magazine list of the wealthiest Americans, with his share of Microsoft valued at approximately $4 billion. By 1998 he had become the richest man in the world, and he retained that status into 2004 (“Gates- World of Invention”). With all the money gained, there’s no doubt that Bill could buy anything he would want. Bill could buy houses, nice TV’s, cars… Heck, he could buy a whole car company. Rather than just buying the “world”, Bill had decided to give most of the money he worked so hardly for to the many causes that affect the world. Bill’s life is more than just a life full of “money”; because he had contributed to society, and committed himself to important values, he makes himself a noticeable “hero”.

Bill Gates' Revolutionizing Company (Microsoft Inc.)

Bill’s wealth and lucrative nature makes him a perfect candidate for “giving things”. Throughout the 90’s to present day, Bill Gates’ contributions to society, whether it is material or monetary, have gained him comprehensible traits that make him stand out as a hero and a notable figure. One of the most apparent actions that make Bill Gates an important member in society is his clear donations to many causes: “Their, (Bill and Melinda Gates), pledges included $1 billion over 20 years to fund college scholarships for about 1,000 minority students, $750 million over five years to help launch the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines, $50 million to help the World Health Organization's efforts to eradicate polio by the end of 2000, and $3 million to help prevent the spread of AIDS among young people in South Africa.” (“Gates- American decades”). Bill and his wife’s lighthearted contributions in the philanthropic world affects many short and long term issues. With the donations of over two billion spread over 20 years, more people could now go and learn without the stress of tuition and now more people have higher chances of survival due to the donations to research. These millions given away to a cause not yet assured is a big thing, nor is it easy. Without his success, Bill would not have the wealth to donate to many causes that make him a “hero”. Bill’s success comes from his important technologic discoveries: “Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur who designed and developed innovative software for the personal computer (PC). Cofounder of the Microsoft Corporation, one of the most successful companies in history, he created such popular software products as MS-DOS and Windows.” (“Gates- Scientists”). With the creation of Bill’s successful company, he was able to create one of the most successful operating systems in PC history, “MS-DOS and Windows. Without such discoveries and/ or creations, we would not have the ease of Windows, Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, etc. Without Bill, we probably would not have many of the computer software that makes the PC so popular. As Bill had created his software, Bill didn’t keep it to himself; he decided to share it with the world and in his success, he decided to donate most of his money to many other causes. Bill’s contribution to society sets the bar in the philanthropic world and the technological world, making him more than just “one of the richest men in the world”.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (www.gatesfoundation.org)

One of the most prominent reasons why Bill Gates is one of the most renowned persons in the world is his commitment to his values. Bill is often never in controversial topics and/or never shoots down his commitments. An example of Bill’s commitments in life is his dedication to the donations he gives out: “In January of 2006, Gates announced that his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were increasing its spending on eradicating tuberculosis to $900 million. This is triple the foundation's previously announced spending on that goal. And in April of that year, the Foundation donated $75 million to the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) to fund development of an anti-pneumonia vaccine.” (“Gates- Scientists”). The announcement of Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation, demonstrates clearly how committed Bill and his wife is to their values and that they are really serious about what they are in. 900 million dollars is a lot of money… raising a donation to that much is serious stuff. This amount they had given shows how committed and confident they are to the cause. Even with the immense amount of donations planned over the years, Bill and his wife still commit their hard- earned money on spending on causes that don’t even affect them. Bill continues to show his care for values and commitments in his decision to step down from his job in Microsoft: “Over the next few years, his involvement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation occupied much of his time and even more of his interest.

In 2006, Gates announced he was transitioning himself from full-time work at Microsoft, to devote more quality time to the Foundation. His last full day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008.” (“Gates- Biography”). In the pronouncement of Bill to step down full time from Microsoft, it clearly defined the type of person Bill would like to eventually become. It would be a difficult situation for a person to step down from a company he/she created from the ground up just to work for a foundation of giving away money. Bill could’ve easily kept his money to himself and could just give it to just his family. In the matter, it also shows his morals, and what he believes in life. His decision to quit from his hard-worked company shows he is a man of giving and a man worthy of being an inspiration. The problem of most wealthy people today is their lack of caring and commitment to their donations. Most celebrities just donate to get the public to notice that they donate and aren’t selfish. Bill is different… Bill shows he cares through the commitments he shows to his foundation. Bill sacrificed his vital “lucrative” position in Microsoft, just to allow more time to the foundation. Through the commitments to his foundation and to his donating, Bill stands out as a person and a “hero”.

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Bill Gates, one of the richest persons in the world, should be renowned not because of his money, but because of his contributions and commitments. In the world of philanthropy, his foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has donated billions of dollars of his money to the causes of education and research for incurable diseases. With these committed donations, he sets feats in the world yet to be defeated. In the world of technology, his early start with programming has eventually led to the discovery of the all-time top operating system “Windows”. Without Bill Gates in the world, we would not have the ease of use of the “PC”… Bill Gates is an inspiration to many individuals and probably the world because of his discoveries in the world technology. Without his discoveries in software and such, we would not be on the addictive tool called the “PC”. Bill Gates carries many traits that make us perceive him as “iconic”. He is caring, giving, committing, successful… Traits that make up a hero. As Christopher Reeve states, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” (“Reeves”). At the end of the day, we can all be heroes… It just depends on how we accomplish things in life.

Works Cited

"Bill Gates." 2010. Biography.com. 15 Dec 2010, 04:56 .

"Bill Gates." Scientists: Their Lives and Works. Gale, 2006. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 15 Dec. 2010.

"Gates, Bill 1955-." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 10: 1990-1999. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 15 Dec. 2010

"William H. Gates." World of Invention. Gale, 2006. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL.17 Dec. 2010