An Architecture That Is In Place

“Imagine we live in a village and there’s a drought. There’s not going to be enough bread, and the richest grab the baker and they take control of the production of bread, and we all have to go to these rich people and ask them for a loaf of bread.”

That’s not fiction. That’s the global supply chain. That’s how COVID vaccines played out in Africa. African countries had the money. Had the people. Had the systems. But they didn’t get the doses. Rich countries hoarded them like apocalypse rations.

Money doesn’t just buy medicine. It buys access. It buys favoritism.

It buys the baker.

And in the middle of that broken machine, Paul Hewson decided to fuck with the wiring. He started by prank calling the White House from concert stages. Then he got in the room. Then he got serious.

And in 2005, he helped erase 100 billion dollars of debt for 35 African countries so they could survive AIDS. So they could breathe without a bill. So they could live.

That wasn’t a performance, That was Jubilee 2000. A rebel campaign against financial chains. One of the most gangster moves of modern humanitarian work.

He belongs in a hall of legends.

Right next to:

Jonas Salk — cured polio and refused to patent it

Nils Bohlin — invented the seatbelt and gave it away

Norman Borlaug — saved a billion people from starvation with zero royalties

Tim Berners Lee — created the World Wide Web and said “it should be for everyone”

Henrietta Lacks — never even consented, but her cells changed science forever

These people didn’t chase profit. They chased impact. They weren’t in it for applause.

They were in it to make sure the morgues weren’t full and the future had a shot.

They saw that being useful is a bigger flex than being rich.

Do you want to start small? The architecture of generosity is also in place, and is waiting for you. Start with this.

The one person that spurred me to write this newsletter needs help. In the same week, he was diagnosed with a mass in his pancreatic tail. In that same week, he was also told he is being divorced.

Had it not been for him, these musings would not come to you. In the spirit of rogue philanthropy, I humbly ask you to help. Here is the link.

That’s legacy

That’s rebellion

That’s gratefulAF

Forward this to someone who still thinks you have to be a billionaire to change the world.

Or better — share it with someone who’s building something and forgot that generosity is a fucking superpower.

gratefulAF