[Sisibibi] Donation, the 'Invisible Force' Leading the United States

In February this year, at an auditorium of a medical school located in the Bronx, New York City, USA, students gathered without knowing the reason at the school's request to attend an emergency meeting. Soon, a woman in her 90s stepped onto the podium and began reading a prepared statement. The students jumped up, clapped, cheered, and even burst into tears while hugging each other. "I am very pleased to announce that starting this August, tuition at Albert Einstein College of Medicine will be free." This was a statement made by Gottesman (93), a former professor and chairperson of the board of trustees of the college. She announced a donation of 1 billion dollars (about 1.3 trillion won) to Albert Einstein College of Medicine. However, she set one condition: she did not want her name to be associated with the college or the scholarship fund.

Mrs. Ruth Gottesman's announcement of tuition exemption brought tears to the eyes of students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Photo captured by 'X'.

Recently, at the graduation ceremony of the prestigious Dartmouth College in the USA, there was also someone who gifted 1,000 dollars (about 1.36 million won) each to about 1,000 graduates. The protagonist was Robert Hale (57), founder of the American telecommunications company Granite Telecommunications. He also holds shares in the NBA's Boston Celtics, and his net worth is estimated by Forbes to be 5.4 billion dollars (about 7.36 trillion won). Hale, who started giving cash gifts to graduates four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially encourages students to use half of the 1,000 dollars, 500 dollars (about 680,000 won), for themselves and donate the other half to others. Although it is unknown how much of the 1,000 dollars is actually donated, he said, "I believe most people do the right thing and are happy because of it."

The United States, the birthplace of capitalism, is classified as a developed country based on indicators such as GDP, economic development, and technological innovation, but it is also one of the countries with the greatest income disparity and wealth inequality. At the same time, it is known as the country where the culture of giving is most well-developed in the world. According to the American nonprofit organization Giving USA, Americans donated approximately 529 billion dollars (about 723 trillion won) in 2022. This amount exceeds South Korea's budget for this year, which is 656 trillion won.

It is important to note that in American society, where various social and economic problems such as wealth disparity, racial and ethnic inequality, political division, and polarization are intensifying, the culture of giving acts as a lubricant that maintains the community. In fact, according to the '2023 World Giving Index' released by the UK’s Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the United States ranked 5th in the world giving index in 2023, maintaining a top position. In contrast, South Korea scored 38 points and ranked 79th out of 142 surveyed countries.

'Noblesse oblige' is a French phrase meaning "nobles have obligations." Today, it is used to mean that those with wealth and power must fulfill corresponding duties. Andrew Carnegie, the 'Steel King,' despite facing much criticism during the process of building his wealth, believed that "wealth carries social responsibility and money should be returned to social welfare," and donated 95% of his fortune to society. American billionaires are passing on this spirit of noblesse oblige as a legacy to future generations.

Not only the wealthy but also ordinary people contribute a significant portion of donations. According to Giving USA, individual donations accounted for 64% of total donations in 2022. Although various horrific incidents such as drug abuse and mass shootings have shaken the entire United States, the fact that a culture of natural giving is embedded in daily life is something we should sincerely learn from.