Allow me to present to you Chuck Feeney, another inspiration in the field of non-attachment. One of the themes behind this Blog is the F.I.R.E. movement, which essentially boils down to the idea that any one can actually have more freedom if one is willing to spend drastically less than one earns. Mr Feeney apparently lived this idea well before it became the subject of so many blogs… before there were blogs… or the internet for that matter. Earning billions by establishing duty-free shopping in the 60’s, he has given over $8 billion to charity, almost all anonymously. The most interesting part of the story is the incredible humility Mr Feeney exhibits: He doesn’t own a car, lives in a dorm-room like apartment, and flies coach. He could exhibit his wealth and success with conspicuous displays, which are also more comfortable typically (we’ve all seen the room they get in first class), but he’s clearly got different priorities. And the only reason that we even know the man was one of the greatest philanthropists of all time is because of a business dispute in the late 90’s. His anonymity was a condition of his charitable giving. He didn’t get his name carved in marble, or have a great big ceremony with a huge novelty cheque. He didn’t receive anything from donating to improve Vietnam’s health care system, other than a cheesy Lucite plaque apparently. He actually sacrificed the aforementioned cushy flights, Bentley and personal driver, and penthouse condo overlooking “The Park”. So how is he able to make those immediate and personal sacrifices for the “bigger picture”? I don’t know the man so I don’t really know his thought process, but there are certainly parallels to the Christian ideal:

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. - Matthew 6:2-4

Charitable giving, philanthropy, or even volunteering one’s time isn’t really altruistic if it’s done for a benefit, like the respect and admiration of others, or the gratitude of the recipient, or worst of all, the expectation that the favour or sacrifice will be returned.

Now I acknowledge that this is an extreme example of uncommon success and wealth, which makes his frugality even more remarkable, but the idea can apply to anyone. In my view it’s one of the most appealing benefits of the F.I.R.E. movement: Do we really need to take a vacation in Florida every year? Must we dine out every weekend at the coolest restaurants? Does everybody really have to have a car? Mr Money Moustache gives away the surplus income that he receives through his blog, and donates his time. We’re not all going to be famous bloggers, but if we are able to create a positive gap between earning and spending, we open up a whole new set of possibilities.

Mr Feeney’s magnanimity didn’t even earn him the admiration and respect of others, but it did earn him freedom: Freedom from needing more and freedom from compromising his ideals to “get more”. I don’t know about you, but I want more of that.