“Candy Candy”Lovely Life at what cost?

Asia's richest woman, Nina Wang known as “Xiao Tian Tian” or “Candy Candy”, has died from cancer at the age of 70 on 3rd April. The head of the Chinachem Group left a fortune estimated at $US4-billion. (Cartoon by by Yumiko Igarashi, Kyoko Mizuki)

According to "Forbes" magazine ranking of the global rich list, her wealth was estimated to be 4.2 billion U.S. dollars that is equivalent to 32.7 billion Hong Kong dollars ---the first in Asia.
Ironically and incredibly, she was reported her monthly expenditure was only about 3,000 dollars that she looks like a billionaire miser. What dominant in her life is work and money earning? Nevertheless her wealth is admirable. Is it possible to trade off the 32.7 billion dollars for the healthy life calling back? This makes me reflect on the meaning of life again. Wealth and money cannot help but to think about what people's lives.

Many people dream of becoming a billionaire. However, no matter how hard we work it is inaccessible. It is just a matter of luck and fortune. In economics although we assume everyone is a “rent-seeker”, usually that is the “windfall” or “unexpected profit” brings the upstarts.

From the 1970s to the 1990s economic take-off period of the Hong Kong economy, the value of the property was raised rapidly that beyond our expectations. Some lucky persons chosen by God had earned pretty good fortune. However, they should thank to the economic boom of Hong Kong. It should not be too envious because life is short and pathetic from the viewpoint of fatalism as a Chinese proverb says “wealth looks like the floating clouds."

Money is really not a panacea. Some people usually earn a lot of money at the expense of happiness and even their lives. What a huge price of it!

The thoughts of an ancient great Chinese poet Li Bai and modern richest billionaires such as Microsoft Bill Gates and Warren Buffett suddenly came across my mind on this issue. Regardless of their nationality and temporal differences, they have the more or less the same thought on the life and wealth. They all give me an inspiration thoroughly aware of the life. Bill Gates decided to fade out from his Microsoft kingdom in two years and will devote wholeheartedly into charity work. Warren Buffett has followed the step of Bill Gates and announced that he is going to donate about 80% of property value (40 billion U.S. dollars) to charitable institutions. I think this is the right track of the future direction of the upstarts.

“I know what I want to do, and it makes sense to get going.” ---- By Warren Buffett

tcwong at http://wongtc.blogspot.com/