One of my beneficial habits is to wake up at about 3am every morning. Ironically,it also makes difficult for me to be on time at early morning meetings or appointments. As usual, this morning I was awake at about 3:15 am. As usual, I do some thinking, a positive one, an inspiring one, a visionary one. Then, I took a book at hand, I place several books around my beds, it used to be even on my bed when I slept on a big bed. The book I read this early morning is Dale Carnegie’s very famous, informative, practical, well-researched and beautifully-written book How To Stop Worrying And Start Living (1958). The chapter I read was about John D. Rockefeller, one of the richest persons in the whole world (p.196 -199). I was so amused to know how stingy JDR was.
Among the books around my bed is a book about Rousseau. Reading, or even thinking, about Rousseau always makes me great laugh, amused throughout the whole day. Rousseau who was regards by many as a pain of the earth; a very, extermely, difficult person whose life was so colourful, but still very brilliant, a real genius at least in my view.
In another post, I will take about Rousseau and his beloved little dog named Sultan for whom we cancelled his appointment with the King (George III, who offered him a pension, which he badly needed, but refused), the appointment was arranged by our great Philosopher, David Hume. The reason for not going to the King was that there was no one to be with Sultan. It is important to note here is the point made by Rousseau, i.e., meeting with a king is no more important than staying with his beloved little dog, Sultan (remember 'Sultan' is an Arabic word that alsomeans ''strength,' 'authority,' 'rulership,' and 'dictatorship'.).
Why am I talking about Rousseau while talking about JDR is their interesting personalities and their great contributions to us. JDR had done great contribution for us with his money (some called “tainted money”, for me it is still an honorable and appreciative active to do such things because it is better to be rich and do something goods for fellow humans than to be poor and therefore unable to do anything for fellow living beings. Moreover we all are liable to error but there are only very few of us who are able to learn from error and better themself), whilst Rousseau did through his philosophy (althogh I do not always agree with his philosophy especially 'social contract, general will, real will, actual will'). Let’s start with JDR.
Among the books around my bed is a book about Rousseau. Reading, or even thinking, about Rousseau always makes me great laugh, amused throughout the whole day. Rousseau who was regards by many as a pain of the earth; a very, extermely, difficult person whose life was so colourful, but still very brilliant, a real genius at least in my view.
In another post, I will take about Rousseau and his beloved little dog named Sultan for whom we cancelled his appointment with the King (George III, who offered him a pension, which he badly needed, but refused), the appointment was arranged by our great Philosopher, David Hume. The reason for not going to the King was that there was no one to be with Sultan. It is important to note here is the point made by Rousseau, i.e., meeting with a king is no more important than staying with his beloved little dog, Sultan (remember 'Sultan' is an Arabic word that alsomeans ''strength,' 'authority,' 'rulership,' and 'dictatorship'.).
Why am I talking about Rousseau while talking about JDR is their interesting personalities and their great contributions to us. JDR had done great contribution for us with his money (some called “tainted money”, for me it is still an honorable and appreciative active to do such things because it is better to be rich and do something goods for fellow humans than to be poor and therefore unable to do anything for fellow living beings. Moreover we all are liable to error but there are only very few of us who are able to learn from error and better themself), whilst Rousseau did through his philosophy (althogh I do not always agree with his philosophy especially 'social contract, general will, real will, actual will'). Let’s start with JDR.
JDR (John D. Rockefeller)
One of the most critical facts that caught my interest in JDR is about his way of life especially when he was young and mad for money, just money, only money. But in my case, I am mad with an accomplishments, academic accomplishments or intellectual break-through in particular. Like me, JDR did not had time for play or recreation, never went to the theatre, never played cards, never went to a party. But there are two differences between JDR and me, i.e., I still have very special recreation, which is meditation and visualisation exercise, and while JDR was mad about money, only money, just money (no doubt that he become the richest person on the whole earth-planet, I am mad about academic break-through (very much like René Descartes while he was so obsessive with philosophical discovery. I will talk about Descartes soon; he is also one of the most important persons we ever have in our whole civilisation). It is also one of the most powerful testaments for law of attraction: you are what you are always thinking, or you get what you madly want, or you become what you madly want to become).
JDR was so stingy and so crazy about money. Let’s read a story narrated by Dale Carnegie (1958: 196 -199) (most of the following are direct-quoted, I know I should have paraphrased but I think the original are so perfect. I did paraphrase some of them and put direct-quotation marks around the original sentences).
One day he shipped grain by way of the Great Lakes. Although the total worth of the grain was $40,000, JDR did not insured because it was too much for him; S150. On that night, a vicious storm raged over Lake Erie. Rockefeller was so mad with worries about losing his cargo. When his partner, George Gardner, arrived to the office in the morning, he found JDR pacing the floor.
George said "Let's see if we can take out insurance now, if it isn't too late!" and then rushed uptown and got the insurance.
“When George returned to the office, he found John D. in an even worse state of nerves because a telegram had arrived in the meantime: the cargo had landed, safe from the storm. JDR was sicker than ever now because they had "wasted" the $150! In fact, he was so sick about it that he had to go home and take to his bed.”
Here another instance retold by Carnegie (1958: 196 -199). When George Gardner, JDR partner, “purchased a second-hand yacht, with three other men, for $2,000, John D. was aghast, refused to go out in it.
When Gardner found JDR working at the office one Saturday afternoon, he pleaded:
"Come on, John, let's go for a sail. It will do you good. Forget about business. Have a little fun."
Rockefeller glared. "George Gardner," he warned, "you are the most extravagant man I ever knew. You are injuring your credit at the banks-and my credit too. First thing you know, you'll be wrecking our business. No, I won't go on your yacht-I don't ever want to see it!" And he stayed plugging in the office all Saturday afternoon.
Although JDR was so mad and so crazy about money, he indeed changed and had done a lot of great contributions for the benefits of humanity. There are many souls who never change and still bad, selfish, cruel and cause great damages to humanity but there are also some great persons who once are greedy, cruel and selfish, but change later and become the best sons and daughters of the world.
JDR was one of them. “When he learned of a starving little college on the shores of Lake Michigan that was being foreclosed because of its mortgage” (Carnegie, 1958: 198). He came to its rescue and poured 80 millions of dollars into that college and turned a small Baptist college into the now world-famous University of Chicago (Byron, 1985: 457).
Chicago School
Why am I saying these things about JDR? It is mainly because of Chicago School, which is considered one of the world's foremost economics departments, has fielded more Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel laureates and John Bates Clark medalists in economics than any other university. But we should remember that the process of selecting candidate for Noble awards is a peer-reviewd process, candidates are proposed, shortlisted and selected mostly by Nobel laurates. There is, therefore, an effect of a virtuous circle or a vicious circle in the case of having more Nobel laurates for economics in Chicago School.
When we talk about Chicago School, it is also necessary to look at Shock Doctrine of Naomi Klein. I will talk more about Chicago School, Milton Friedman (the most important person of Chicago School and one of the greatest antagonists of Keynescianism. But we should remember that Milton was Keynesian when he was young, as the same way like Haykes was socialist when he was young too), Keynesianism (which is rejected and opposed fervently by Chicago School) (I have already talked a little bit about Keynes and Hayeks), Noami Klein, Shock Doctrine later.
(I will talk about Rousseau and his beloved Sultan, who is, for Rousseau, as important as a King soon).
References:
Byron, D. (1985). A Sense of history: the best writing from the pages of American heritage. New York: American Heritage Press.
Carnegie, D. (1958) How To Stop Worrying And Start Living. Retrieved on June 13, 2011 on www.trans4mind.com/Carnagie.pdf
