Buffett's goodbye letter

My first contact with Warren Buffett happened in 1998. It was in a Barnes & Noble in San Francisco. Browsing through the business section, I came across a book on Buffett's investment strategy. After reading it, I became a student and fan.

At the time I thought that Buffett's gift to the world was to help capitalists at every level, from individual investors to large company CEOs, make better investment decisions. Improved capital allocation should lead to wealth creation, strengthening the cycle of prosperity and peace that we've enjoyed since the end of the second World War.

That's a great contribution to society. However, after reading the letter than Buffett published earlier this week, I realize that my understanding of his most significant impact was wrong.

From the letter:

"Greatness does not come about through accumulating great amounts of money, great amounts of publicity or great power in government. When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world. Kindness is costless but also priceless. Whether you are religious or not, it’s hard to beat The Golden Rule as a guide to behavior."

"Keep in mind that the cleaning lady is as much a human being as the Chairman."

"I wish all who read this a very happy Thanksgiving. Yes, even the jerks; it’s never too late to change."

The idea that to succeed in business means to "win" over others is both mainstream and absurd. In places like finance and technology we have glorified those who will do anything to anyone in order to end up ahead.

Buffett's life is proof that being a jerk is not a necessary condition to achieve massive financial success and global fame.

And of course the history of human development proves that we are not in a zero sum game, with winners on one side and losers on the other. If that were the right assumption we'd still be living like cavemen, fighting over scarce food and shelter.

Buffett's life has a clear and powerful message: you can be a good person and do extremely well. In the letter he shares exactly how he did it. By surrounding himself with extraordinary people and behaving in a way that deserves their trust and friendship.

I have always suggested to my three sons that choosing who they spend their time with is the most important decision in life. My internal thought was that we need to choose well even if it means sacrificing other aspects like career success. What Buffett's life shows is that this trade off doesn't really exist. You can have it all, loving relationships and a career that is successful by anyone's standards, specially yours.

I recently started taking catechism classes in preparation for my first communion next year. At 51, I feel the need to connect to something deeper. It also makes me quite curious to learn how it is that a man who lived 2,000 years ago and was armed with nothing but his words (no social media following, no fortune or government power) is still so relevant today.

My early conclusion is that his message lives on because it is the most powerful message of all. And it is the same thing that Buffett, after a lifetime of wisdom, shared with us this week. Be kind to the person who is right in front of you now. That's all.

And it's a lot.