giving more than they had, they lifted up the sun

Yesterday I went for a 10 kilometer run along the coast in preparation for the Nike 10K that will take place here on November 11th. In addition to finding some beautiful new beach spots where wind and kite surfers congregate, I had some time to let my thoughts wander. I found they wandered toward a topic that has been following me quite a bit lately: my responsibility to those who suffer due to factors outside their control. It seems that the songs I've been listening to, the articles I've read, and the movies I've watched over the past few weeks have all been trying to reinforce the idea of "helping those who can't help themselves."

These songs, articles, and movies picked an opportune time to start reinforcing--I've noticed that, since coming to Uruguay, I've let myself increasingly slip into dreaming about starting salaries, penthouses, and sports cars. Perhaps this happened because I've been thinking about law school so much lately, or perhaps becuase I'm missing those luxuries that are rare in Uruguay but all-too-common in the United States--I'm really not sure. The fact of the matter is that all my daydreaming about speedboats and fast cars has distracted me from the issues and ideas that not only make my heart beat faster, but also fill me with a feeling of purpose.

I put on my headphones the other day, and these were the words that quietly screamed in my ears:

"And though they were sad
They rescued everyone
They lifted up the sun
A spoonful weighs a ton

Giving more than they had
The process had begun
A million came from one
The limits now were none

Being drunk on their plan
They lifted up the sun"

And with these words I was reminded of a belief I hold that has, in recent months, been mitigated from a fundamental motivation to an occasional interest: the belief that we are not constrained by the limits of the past; that today we have resources to counter our world's most serious injustices that were never available before; that ending these injustices is possible; and that we, the most fortunate and able of our generation, are the ones who have the most responsibility to end them.

Several days after first listening to the lyrics above, I was sitting in front of my computer screen while eating a late-night salad. For reasons unknown, I decided to type "Harvard commencement address" into the Youtube search box, and I proceeded to listen to the speech Bill Gates gave to Harvard's Class of 2007 last June. I found its relevance to the song lyrics to be uncanny. In his speech, Gates said, "When you consider what those of us here have been given – in talent, privilege, and opportunity – there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us." The following several paragraphs are pieces of what preceded and followed in his speech:



"Humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries – but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity – reducing inequity is the highest human achievement.

If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not. I asked: 'How could the world let these children [dying of preventable diseases such as malaria] die?'

The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.

But you and I have both.

We can make market forces work better for the poor if we can develop a more creative capitalism – if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a living, serving people who are suffering from the worst inequities. We also can press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes.

If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this challenge will change the world.

I talk to skeptics who claim there is no hope. They say: 'Inequity has been with us since the beginning, and will be with us until the end – because people just ... don’t ... care.' I completely disagree.

I believe we have more caring than we know what to do with.

All of us here, at one time or another, have seen human tragedies that broke our hearts, and yet we did nothing – not because we didn’t care, but because we didn’t know what to do. If we had known how to help, we would have acted.

The barrier to change is not too little caring; it is too much complexity.

To turn caring into action, we need to see a problem, see a solution, and see the impact. But complexity blocks all three steps.

I’m optimistic. Yes, inequity has been with us forever, but the new tools we have to cut through complexity have not been with us forever. They are new – they can help us make the most of our caring – and that’s why the future can be different from the past. The defining and ongoing innovations of this age – biotechnology, the computer, the Internet – give us a chance we’ve never had before to end extreme poverty and end death from preventable disease.

When you consider what those of us here have been given – in talent, privilege, and opportunity – there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us.

I hope you will come back here to Harvard 30 years from now and reflect on what you have done with your talent and your energy. I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addressed the world’s deepest inequities ... on how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity."



After listening to the speech, I went to sleep reminded of the humanity we share with every individual in this world, and our responsibility to never overlook this common humanity, but to let it be the basis of our actions. But I didn't fall asleep feeling burdened by this responsibility; I was elated. I was filled with optimism by the prospect that we possess this burden because we are able to finally discard it. It is truly inspiring to think that during our lifetimes we may see the widespread alleviation of the worst problems that have plagued the world since its beginning and confounded even our most distant ancestors. It is even more inspiring to realize that this alleviation can happen because of you.

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By the way, the song lyrics are from "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton," by The Flaming Lips.

I encourage you to visit Youtube and watch the speech Bill Gates gave in its entirety. It's divided into five parts and can be found at:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AP5VIhbJwFs