One of the best things I read was an 1889 essay by Andrew Carnegie called The Gospel of Wealth. It makes the case that the wealthy have a responsibility to return their resources to society, a radical idea at the time that laid the groundwork for philanthropy as we know it today.
In the essay’s most famous line, Carnegie argues that “the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” I have spent a lot of time thinking about that quote lately. People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that “he died rich” will not be one of them.
He could and that would be awesome, but there is a shit ton of money in his hands that can still do plenty of actual good whether we all think he is still an asshole for accumulating it. I’m not arguing for him to be remembered as a good man, but the money can create some good still.