Uruguay has an impressive GDP considering it’s the second-smallest nation in South America, but its president lives more like a pauper –- on purpose. Jose Mujica, 77, was elected in 2009, but he has no interest in taking on the grand presidential lifestyle.
According to the BBC, Mujica donates 90 percent of his salary to charity and lives in a farmhouse off a dirt road where he and his wife work the land themselves.
The austere leader earns $12,500 a month, but only keeps $1,250 for himself, he told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, according to a translation by Univision.
“I do fine with that amount; I have to do fine because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less,” Mujica told the paper.
He focuses his giving on helping the poor and small entrepreneurs.
"This is a matter of freedom,” Mujica told the BBC. “If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself."
Mujica also seems intent on impressing his philanthropic ways on other world leaders.
While speaking at the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June, Mujica espoused his philosophy on poverty and consumption.
“If all I’m doing is working to buy things to get more If society of consumption is the energy of everything, where does this go?" he asked.
“We need to start to fight for another kind of culture. ... Seneca said that ‘a poor person is not someone who doesn’t have very much, but the person who really is poor is the person that continues to need more and more and more and desires more and more.'"
Source: Huffington Post
Related:
According to the BBC, Mujica donates 90 percent of his salary to charity and lives in a farmhouse off a dirt road where he and his wife work the land themselves.The austere leader earns $12,500 a month, but only keeps $1,250 for himself, he told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, according to a translation by Univision.
“I do fine with that amount; I have to do fine because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less,” Mujica told the paper.
He focuses his giving on helping the poor and small entrepreneurs.
"This is a matter of freedom,” Mujica told the BBC. “If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself."
Mujica also seems intent on impressing his philanthropic ways on other world leaders.
While speaking at the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June, Mujica espoused his philosophy on poverty and consumption.
“If all I’m doing is working to buy things to get more If society of consumption is the energy of everything, where does this go?" he asked.
“We need to start to fight for another kind of culture. ... Seneca said that ‘a poor person is not someone who doesn’t have very much, but the person who really is poor is the person that continues to need more and more and more and desires more and more.'"
Source: Huffington Post
Related:
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A President with a difference.Leading by example is all what it takes for a better world.I like him and let's emulate him.
ReplyDeletepeople like him its ONE in a million and maybe more !11
ReplyDeleteThis is truth, im from Uruguay, "el pepe" as we call him is above all a good human being... he cares for the poor. And he`s done grate things for us.
ReplyDeleteAlso, sadly he`s making some really bad mistakes selling our land to U.S and european corporations, asking for big lowns we can`not pay, making uruguay externals debt bigger and bigger; selling our goods very cheep to pay that debt... Foreing corporations want to privatice our natural resources for their own good. That`s happing all over southamerica... The secret world goverment, through the I.I.R.SA. proyect i pooshing our leaders to seel our natural resources. Third world is like always being aboused by first world corporations. And comon pepople dont know it.
To be honest... it is better for his safety and the people of Uruguay's safety. I say this remorsefully, my country doesn't have a good track record when it comes to dealing with rejections of our corporate systems around the world. It always ends up bad, and the people of the nations whose government rejects "westernization" end up being the slaves of our corporations. We rape their land and often import workers from other slave nations we have conquered to steal their resources.
DeleteTo you Mr. Brum, and to anyone else around the world who happens to read this, please know that many Americans realize that our government and our corporations are dangerous and empirical. There are many Americans, however, who believe that we are the peace makers and that we are righteous in our foreign policy... I believe that this is because the media here only seriously reports the darkest sectors of other cultures. The media are controlled by corporations, the media also has great influence in our government... specifically what topics are "important" and what topics are "fringe".
This makes it very difficult for those of us who are aware to convince those who are complacent that there is a problem.
I'm sure that your president is aware that our corporations are no good for Uruguay, but if you do not welcome them with open arms, our government will commit genocide... and enough people here will support them in doing so thanks to the "almighty" TV.
how unfortunate what Lic. Marcelo Brum says is going on. I have heard about this in many countries in S. America, and I think its sickening.
ReplyDeleteUruguay President is preaching "TrutHonestSinceritology" Excessive Vainity in Consummerism is True Poverty, Weakness and Self Marginalised Bondage.
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