Richistan blog 5

Frank ends the book with a sliver of hope. He writes, "They will see that their money is not a gift but a responsibility. Through smarter philanthropy like Berber's, Richistanis can eventually fulfill Carnegie's 100 year old dream of a 'reconciliation between rich and poor, a reign of harmony.' "While Frank says that this is very well possible, I struggle to fully agree with him. I love his writing though. I love that he calls the Richistanis money a gift, because that is how they are spending it. When I get 20 dollars from my grandmother I never put it in the bank, i always go out and buy a nice dinner that is delicious because the money was a gift. However, when money is a responsibility it gets treated so drastically different. When dealing with the money I have earned that is in my bank account I would never take it out and spend it whimsically because it is a responsibility that I must up take. So the ultimate question that this book asks is, is Carnegie's dream ever possible? In all of observable history, there have been those who have more, and those who have less. That is history. History repeats itself, and it is near impossible to break that cycle. And now that we have entered that cycle of rich and poor I don't see a way that the dynamics could ever change. Frank ends the book with, "We can only hope", and I think that is the plain and simple truth. We can only hope that the Richistanis will come to their sense and see their money as a responsibility rather than a gift. Otherwise, we are doomed to a cycle of rich and poor, poverty and great excess, and hunger and greed.