There’s achieving and there’s over-achieving. Everyone wants what you describe, but a fair number fall/get consumed before they get there. For one person’s success, how many have had to pay some kind of cost for that?
I don’t necessarily disagree with the sentiment, however, shouldn’t all citizens be doing this, not just the successful ones?
This idea that the successful MUST give back to society because their success seems similar to a convict who is asked to pay back their debt to society.
A convict might be applauded for “keeping their nose clean” once released from prison. Why is the same not said or expected of a successful person who, for example, retires early to a quiet, relatively invisible life?
I don’t necessarily disagree with the sentiment, but those who aren’t successful are often too preoccupied with day to day survival for themselves and their families to have the resources (time or money) to worry about helping others.
There is no MUST but there is a should, because success beyond a certain level is dependent on society, and society is largely built to protect their resources.
Please go on. I’m all ears. It’ll take more than a meme quote to make me believe that anyone OWES anything to society, given that it is a human social construct. Socety VALUES different things, intelligence, athleticism, but there is no rule that those who DO benefit from this unequal playing field MUST give back.
–or its own survival, at the expense of its citizenry, as war has shown time and time again. Civilization takes on the viral algorithmic quality at times, one programmed for self preservation.
A direct quote from the Bible can hardly be written off as a cute meme. Jesus’ words were explicit. It’s the same idea behind tithing. Islam is even more explicit in its commands for those with money to set aside a certain percentage of their earnings to the community, particularly the poor. Many modern “prosperity gospel” Christians have issue with Jesus’ commandment to give back if you have an abundance, I gather. But it’s perfectly in line with everything else he says in the New Testament.