Musashi's Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone)

Businessman:

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To me this precept speaks to stewardship, using our resources
wisely while we’re here in hopes of leaving a legacy behind that
continues to do good things beyond our lifetimes. One of the best
examples of this was set by Bill and Melinda Gates. During a
vacation to Africa in 1993 the couple began to seriously think about
what to do with the enormous wealth they had acquired through
Microsoft. They ultimately decided to donate their resources to help
those less fortunate, a notion on which the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation was born.
Bill told reporters, “Well, if you have money, what are you gonna do
with it? You can spend it on yourself, you can have, you know,
thousands of people holding fans and cooling you off. You can build
pyramids and things. You know, I sometimes order two
cheeseburgers instead of one. But we didn't have any consumption
ideas. And if you don’t think it’s a favor to your kids to have them
start with gigantic wealth, then you’ve gotta pick a cause.” Their
foundation’s cause is a good one. Their primary focus is currently on
eliminating HIV/AIDS, malaria, mother-and-child deaths worldwide.
The couple has publically pledged to give away ninety percent of
their fortune throughout the rest of their lifetime, donating over $30
billion to their foundation to date.
Leveraging one’s wealth toward good deeds is noble, but inspiring
others to follow your lead is even better. Since establishing their
foundation the couple has successfully signed up over 130 other
millionaires and billionaires who have likewise agreed to give away
at least half their wealth to charitable causes. Working together with
fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, their “The Giving Pledge” project
has received the support of luminaries like Paul Allen, Richard
Branson, Larry Ellison, George Lucas, Elon Musk, David Rockefeller,
and Mark Zuckerberg.
While most of us will never be millionaires let alone billionaires that
does not mean that we cannot follow this example. If we don’t have
excess money we can certainly donate our time to worthwhile
causes, both personally and professionally, such as volunteering in

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the community or taking a position on the board of a charitable
foundation. Furthermore, most large enterprises support charitable
giving campaigns, either directly or indirectly through United Way or
similar agencies. Oftentimes this means that our employers will
match whatever donations we make to sanctioned causes, such as
501c3 “nonprofit” charities in the United States, doubling our giving
power.
Even where our companies do not sponsor such activities, we can
still do good things all by ourselves. For example, on more than one
occasion I have carved out time in my annual offsite meetings to
gather everyone in my group together and spend a few hours
helping out at a local food bank as a teambuilding/community
outreach exercise. I have also volunteered as a parent’s club officer
and fundraiser for my son’s school, as a mentor for military veterans
entering the civilian workplace, and even as a sideline reporter and
photographer for youth football. Martial arts can support the
community too. As instructors we help students enhance their self-
esteem, develop mental discipline, learn self-defense, and improve
their physical conditioning. With a little creativity anyone can find
ways to support causes they believe in.
Clearly we need to look out for ourselves and our families first, but in
most instances if we are successful in business we will
simultaneously build up an excess of resources beyond what we
truly need. We owe it to ourselves and our community to be
thoughtful about how we spend or invest any surplus. Thoughtful
largess can not only help out worthy causes but also make our time
on earth more meaningful and rewarding too.

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