为何世界上的夫人都热衷于慈善捐款

近些年来，富人捐款渐渐形成一种风尚。对其背后的原因众说纷纭：有人说这是一种变相的炫富，有人说这是富人避税的手段，还有人说他们是想在身后留下英名……

The reasons why the rich give to charity are as varied as the rich themselves.

Some give out of vanity. Some out of guilt. Some for the tax breaks[1]. Some give out of conviction[2] that their success in business makes them equally expert in solving the world’s problems.

Yet perhaps the most powerful and common reason why the rich give is the idea most commonly referred to as “legacy”.

“Legacy” has become so overused and manipulated by wealth-management firms that it’s lost much of its meaning.[3]

But in an article in the Guardian, British telecoms[4] billionaire John Caudwell gives the best definition yet of why legacy drives the rich to give.

It boils down to what’s on your tombstone.[5] “Here lies a Very Successful Businessman,” he says. “Doesn’t really do it, does it? Not quite enough, somehow. You’d want something more.”

He says he’s proud of his business success, the jobs he’s created and the taxes he’s paid. He said he “sacrificed what most people call a normal life” to make his wealth. It’s not a guilt thing.

“Business gives you a massive high[6],” he told the Guardian. “Doing a great deal, coming up with an inspirational solution ... It’s very addictive. But it doesn’t last long. In isolation, it’s a bit sterile.[7] It doesn’t reward the soul.”

Caudwell said that he started helping a young girl who had spinal muscular atrophy[8], providing special wheelchairs and care to give her more independence. Now he’s giving away most of his fortune, with a lot of it going to disabled children.

“You should see the difference,” he says. “Now that’s a reward. That’s a fantastic reward. A totally different reward.”

Caudwell is speaking out in an effort to get more Britons to give to charity. They give about a tenth of the rate of the US rich (which has a lot to do with tax code[9], the different cultures of wealth and religious giving).

But his message applies equally well to the US wealthy.

What do you think are the main reasons the rich give to charity?

Vocabulary

1. tax break: 减税，赋税减免。

2. conviction: 确信，坚定的看法。

3.“遗产”一词儿已被过度使用并为财富管理公司所操控，以至于失去了其大部分原有的意义。

4. telecom: 电信，长途通信。

5. boil down to: 归结于;tombstone: 墓碑。

6. high: 高峰，最高水平。

7. isolation: 孤立，脱离;sterile: 枯燥无味的。

8. spinal muscular atrophy: 脊髓性肌萎缩症。

9. code: 法规。