Have you heard about the millionaire that gave away his $4.7 million fortune?

Good for him!....and a few others. I think he might have the right attitude :)

He obviously wasn’t trying hard enough.

Almost every wealthy person I know is now more miserable than when they had average incomes or having heart attacks so I am not surprised and good for him.

He is a doofus !!!
Whom ever said ; “Money can’t buy happiness” does not know where to shop !

@Cruiser That’s very interesting…how many wealthy people do you know?

the thing, though, a person with a fortune can give it away but poor people can’t just decide to have one. so in that respect, the wealthy person has more greater latitude.

@Ria777 Good point.

(Sorta wished he had given some of it to me…!)

I think that’s a pretty big step giving away all his money, but fair play to him, it’s an interesting decision.

I think people that are that wealthy should give a little something back, I think $4.7 million is a bit more than a little though…..

$4.7 million is no longer a fortune. It is just chump change. He probably no longer wants to be party to killing innocent women and children around the world (assuming he is a US citizen). And he probably also no longer wishes to be party to creating terrrorists around the world who are hellbent on blowing up the US because the US has killed their women and children.

The man is following his heart and pursuit of happiness good for him.

Would I do the same, not sure about that.

I would never ask anyone to give all their money away. The wealthy should be more giving to those less fortunate. Most are not.

Ohhhh…._k, @davidbetterman

it is possible to HAVE the money without spending it, therefore not making u “miserable”

I really don’t understand how money can lead to depression…

Money doesn’t lead to depression, @iRemy_y. It’s more likely the misguided expectation of what money can do that make people depressed.

He was unhappy when he was poor, and he was unhappy when he was rich. He made the effort to achieve great wealth and it did not make him happy. I suspect that it is not money that makes this guy happy or unhappy… it is within him. He was chasing happiness and he still is. He is not going to reach it until he stops looking at externals.

If he lives in “do I buy food or do I buy medication, I cannot afford both” poverty I suspect that he is going to be wanting his money back.

I would have taken some of that off of his hands, though.

Good for him.

If I won Lotto. I would spend a great deal of money creating programs for Autistic people.
The Director of my Son’s school did this.
Sadly most people are too self absorbed to comprehend anything which does not affected their loved ones.

Well said, @Arisztid.

@SABOTEUR according to my POV of wealthy 2 mil or more…24 +. A lot of my frat bros are very well off…overworked, divorced, having affairs, heart attacks, even my boss who had zero money when he bought our company and now makes sick money is miserable constantly trying to make amends with his guilt. Very sad insight to the “good life”.

Money can not buy happiness.

But it can make it so that it’s easier to seek out what makes you happy.

Rich skiers have an easier time getting on the slopes than a middle class skier who would have to save up vacation days.

money is so evil i wish we could go back to trading goods they had it so good back then everyone was happy people suck now

@Cruiser… Too True!

@Sampson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMwZsFKIXa8

Does it say what his Latin American charities will do?

Geez, @Cruiser. I know that money doesn’t make you happy, but one would think you could at least be content for a heck of a long time. I guess wealthy people just eat a lot better, huh?

@benjaminlevi Couldn’t find anything about Karl Rabeder’s charities. Just more articles saying the same thing.

The more I (re)read these articles, the more I question the intelligence of this (ex?) millionaire. Eastern religions speak on the need of man to develop a sense of detachment from the things of the world. Gautama Buddha received enlightenment by detaching himself from the world, eating only enough to survive and meditating beneath a pipal tree for 49 days.

In spite of this though, the very same philosophies emphasize the true test of enlightenment is not isolating oneself from the world (as Mr. Rabeder plans to do), but by coping with the trials and tribulations of daily living.

I wonder what epiphany Mr. Rabener will come to once his stomach starts growling and his wife begins complaining about missing the glamorous life. Methinks Karl Rabener has a backup plan should he discover that living the life of a hermit doesn’t necessarily bring happiness either.

@SABOTEUR I would bet money, if I had any, that what you say is accurate: Methinks Karl Rabener has a backup plan should he discover that living the life of a hermit doesn’t necessarily bring happiness either.

My wealth off Brother In Law is not a very happy Man. He never has enough and never helps us. He vents to my Husband all the time.
LOL he likes to say, if I had as much as so and so I would give you. What a joke.
He married into a family of blue blood self absorbed egotistical people. I have more integrity and intelligence in my feet than the lot of them.
They all went to Harvard. The people who go to Public colleges work harder and are usually smarter. They have no choice.

@SABOTEUR They do put on some mean bar-b-ques!

@Cruiser That’s a relief. Glad to hear they can be content with something.

@philosopher: Your assertions, besides being contradictory, are just wrong.

First you say, “I would never ask anyone to give all their money away.” Then go on to do just that: “The wealthy should be more giving to those less fortunate. Most are not.”

Second, the numbers don’t validate your argument. Most wealthy people are very generous.

Finally, you, the mother of an autistic child, state, “most people are too self absorbed to comprehend anything which does not affected their loved ones,” immediately after saying that if you won the lotto you would spend “a great deal” of that money setting up programs for “Autistic” people. Now that I think of it, those two statements validate themselves, so never mind.

As far as Karl Rabeder, I have to agree with @Arisztid. Dude won’t be happy poor, rich or otherwise.

@Poser
I suppose it makes no sense to you. You are self absorbed person with all the empathy of a soulless idiot.
I could not care less what you think.

I never said it didn’t make sense to me. I said that you are wrong. Am I self-absorbed because I pointed this out?

Do I lack empathy because I dared to question you, who spits out such helpful cliches like “rich people are selfish”?

What evidence did I give that I’m self-absorbed?

What’s your take? Idiot, fool, schmo, simpleton, Gump, Gomer, fool, fool, idiot, imbecile, dote, twit, ninny, fool, fool, bigger fool, idiot, chump, schmuck, idiot, fool a sexdecillion times.