We all know him: the CEO of News Corp. Billionaire. Australian. World-class curmudgeon.
But do we really know him? I mean- know him, know him? Turns out, nobody does. Here’s a quote about him from someone who knew him (before Murdoch had the man deported): “He travels alone, but then he is a loner. The only people who are really close to him are his wife, his children, his sister, Helen, and his mother. He has no real friends. He does not allow himself to become intimate with anybody else, for he never knows when he will have to turn on them.”
Wow.
Now you may hear monster, but I hear monk-like dedication. And I’m not talking dedication in the way you might be dedicated to Jack-in-the-Box over Burger King. No, this is the dedication of a Samurai or a really talented artist whose paintings don’t suck. Rupert Murdoch’s terrible burden comes from the knowledge that money is power.
And as we learned from that unfortunately unforgettable superhero movie with Kirsten Dunst in it, with great power comes great responsibility.
But that’s what it takes. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a Rupert Murdoch, you’d have to shoulder the same burden he does. Slough off those people you call friends, even those people you know as acquaintances. Because if you’re dedicated, people, you too can end up ridiculously rich and completely alone. And money is better than friends.
How do I know that money is better than friends? Well, let me answer your question with a few questions of my own. Can you throw your friends in the air and then jump on them when they float to the ground? Can you burn your friends in the fireplace on a cold winter night? Can you use your friends to buy friends, the way you can with money? No, people. Money is fantastic, versatile, and truly useful, unlike most of my friends, who can’t even be bothered to help move a mattress.
So, in essence, by having lots of money and making sure nobody gets close to him, Rupert Murdoch’s crushing responsibility is protecting people from the horrible power of money. Talk about a man of the people!
