I am privileged. The very reason why I can afford to be an entrepreneur is that I was born in the right place, at the right time and in the right family.
Many people in the world, billions of brothers and sisters, work to survive. Whether their family and themselves eat today, depends on their work of the day. If they do not earn money, they do not eat. If they have nothing, there is no organized social safety net to make sure their family and themselves will be safe and healthy. Not earning money one day means being hungry, and being hungry can kill.
And I, on my end, the 30 something born with everything, I could bootstrap a business, without drawing a salary, knowing that it would most likely fail as most ventures do. I could do it and take that risk because I knew that if things should go bad, my survival would not be threatened.
Same planet. Different realities.
I am familiar with extreme poverty as my family roots in Madagascar, the gorgeous red Island of the Indian ocean, which is trapped in poverty. Although extremely rich in resources, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its GDP is the 3rd lowest globally.
I have seen members of my own family living in conditions that would be unthinkable for us born in the right hemisphere.
I did wonder if I should feel guilty. But I did not wonder for long.
I know the generosity of the poor. I know that they would never want me to walk every day feeling guilty for my life, my roof, my education, the abundance of the society in which I was born.
However, I believe I have a duty towards people who are less lucky.
I am of the opinion that I and all of us, who do not have to worry about our mere survival, should use our privileges as leverage to make our world a better place for everybody. We should work to serve others, to advance humanity on behalf of all, to foster progress that leaves no one behind.
We should work hard to lift people out of poverty, to alleviate pains and bridge gaps, to protect peace, and our planet.
This is what, if I would not be doing it, would make me feel guilty. It would be ungrateful, undeserving not to use everything I have been granted by being born lucky to try and make the world a better place.
I live my life every day on a mission to make a positive impact in the world. I, we, owe it to our brothers and sisters who -contrary to us- did not win the lottery
Please excuse typos, repeats, or any non-sense. My riffs are unedited outpouring of words written in one sitting to explore thoughts that were volunteering to be developed.
