The heart of an orphan

I have a friend who loves children, but particularly, he has a heart for orphans.  He's the kind of person who breaks the mold.  Now, I know, I know, lots of people "break the mold".  There's a lot I don't know.  Sadly, a lot of places I haven't visited, nor will I.  But, I've got a pretty good grasp on people and molds.  I'm a life long student, even entering an intensive program at Harvard in 2002 and have been studying there off and on for the last eight years.  Trust me for a moment, this guy breaks the mold.

He has been educated at three of the most prestigious schools in the world.  He has covetable job at one of the most prestigious investment houses in the world.  He is considerate, but he doesn't give a flying flip about any of the prestige.  He loves orphans.  He desperately loves his wife.  She is an orphan.

I met this friend in a London kitchen.  He didn't know at the time, but I had a sense our relationship would be profound.

Five years ago, Anne and I began dedicating our lives to what we call life changing things.  Similar to what John Replogle said at the Harvard Club panel last monday (read blog below), Anne and I have purposed to help others live better lives.   At the time, five years ago, I was embroiled in a miserable business situation; the type of situation in which there are winners and losers. Having written this, its actually like war, there are no winners.  Frankly, the notion of life changing things has been of interest to Anne and me since we married.  But, I wasn't very good at it then.  It's just that several situations in the last ten years have effected commitment within us at a higher level, initiatives at both personal and professional levels.

Back to the mold breaker.  I learned a very important lesson from this young friend; that we all feel orphaned at one moment or another.  Our hearts yearn for something more than money, fame, power, prestige.  Its at this point, that some, who have insatiable egos, begin to back up and say, whoa, this guy's a little touchy feely for me.  Sad part is, the most proscribed drug in the rich world are anti-depressants.  And, the rich down the pills at faster rates than the poor.  We rich are too often overfed, hooked on something, whether its power, sex or money.  But, more importantly, there is an inverse relationship between power, money and happiness.  So, my friend decided to break the mold.  He;s attempting to give away 90%, personally living on 10%.  If I were his boss, I would realize this is fantastic.  The guy'll have to work his butt off to live on the 10%!  But, this is how much my friend loves orphan kids.

Have you ever been to an orphanage?  Orphans are happy.  They want the most important things in life. They want to be loved.  They want to be fed.  They want a family.

When Lee Atwater was dying of cancer, he didn't want to help the Republicans get elected, he wanted to love and be loved, and forgiven.  One of the greatest CEOs in American business history, Colman Mockler, left a legacy of love, care, well, and great razor blades.  Do you think you'll want to turn another "deal" or win another election with your last day.  I'm sad if you do.  The self aware person will want to love another and be loved, like the orphan.