But we’re so hooked on our phones. The cult of Instagram has taken over adults, as well as kids.

This is what drives me crazy about today’s society, the way we’re trying to brainwash people: Instagram famous is not famous. Who gives a shit? Honestly, you’re not doing a thing. Go do something.

Doing something is much more important than being famous. Famous is not the goal; that’s inconsequential. If you can leave a positive mark on this planet and feel proud of it, that’s a whole different story. There are a lot of talented people out there that are never going to be famous. And yet they’re just as valuable.

To me, it’s not about being famous: It’s about doing things that you love, things that you’re passionate about, things that when you leave this world, you leave it in a better place. Whatever your talents are, be it an accountant, an astronaut, or a sanitation worker, leave this place in a better place. Leave this place feeling like you’ve accomplished what you wanted to accomplish and in a way that makes you happy.

Being famous doesn’t make you happy. Being rich does not make you happy. Trust me.  Talk to the billionaires, talk to the famous people. They will tell you that. Most of them will tell you that billionaires are bored out of their minds. Yes, they can buy all the toys that they want, but it does not make them happy. Being healthy, having a family that’s healthy, and hopefully having a sense of accomplishment in whatever your passion is makes you happy. Experience of amazing things makes people travel. If you can experience the weird, the wonderful, the strange, or the scary, that makes people happy.

Not everyone has to be an explorer. Most people aren’t, but explore your own life. If you’re passionate about what you do, you will be a success, no matter what. You may not make billions of dollars, but it doesn’t matter. As long as you can pay your bills and you’re happy, healthy, and you can provide for your family, that’s all that matters.

At the end of the day, we can’t take money or fame with us. Who gives a shit whether you have a Ferrari or not? Honestly? That’s not important. What’s important is health, happiness, being able to put food on the table, pay your bills, and—most importantly—do what you’re passionate about.

Some people don’t know what they’re passionate about though—what their “purpose” should be. How can they find that source of happiness?

To go full circle back to technology, I feel like we’ve become a bit too reliant and complacent because of certain technologies. It comes back to convenience as well: Life is not convenient. We’re sitting here in this beautiful museum in the comfort of air conditioning with food laid out on the table and all sorts of drinks—but most of the world doesn’t get that. Most people struggle in their everyday lives just to make ends meet, just to put food enough food on the table to feed their families. Life is not easy. And the delusions that we have in these moments of life being easy is a poison on our perspective. We have to understand that.

That’s why I emphasize the fact that no matter what demographic you’re from, take a walk. Go out there and go into a place that makes you feel like a foreigner. Be uncomfortable. Get out of your element. Hopefully it’s a different country where they don’t even speak the language you speak, and immerse yourself in that experience, because it makes you a better person. It makes you appreciate all the various things that make life interesting. And it opens up your horizons and understandings and acceptance.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if people were offering themselves this experience at least once in their lifetimes? They would be much more tolerant of other human beings. They would be much more understanding of the need to take better care of this planet. They would be much more knowledgeable and wise. We would be in a much better place.

But many of the unprivileged populations you’re talking about don’t have enough upward mobility to do that—to go experience another country and get uncomfortable. How can people gain the benefits of exploration without having to leave their own city?

That’s where it goes back to technology and cell phones. Most everyone on this planet has access to a mobile device of some sort. It goes back to the old saying: “Knowledge is power.” And being able to disseminate that information, that knowledge, in way that is empowering and meaningful to all demographics is extraordinary. Whether it’s a refugee that’s going from Africa to Europe to try and find a better life, fleeing some horrific circumstances, or whether it’s a businessman in an ivory tower in New York City, we can use the power that these things give us in a meaningful way to connect the world.

Because at the end of the day, regardless of where you’re from or what your life is like, we’re all in the same boat. And unless we help each other out by default, we’re not getting out of this, regardless of the demographic. So it behooves all of us—billionaires and disadvantaged people alike—to work together and try to figure out the various problems communities and individual are in. It’s a symbiotic relationship, because otherwise we’re fooling ourselves.

I just really hope that my generation is not going to fall prey to the same thinking previous generations have.

For the first time in history, the next generation is not going to be as upwardly as the previous generation.

Do you think that’ll be motivation enough for people to want to change?
Well, the answer is simple. If we give up, if we don’t do anything, we know where we’re headed. The only saving grace is that if we do something as individuals and as communities, we know we’ll be headed in a better direction, regardless.

So what’s the sense of giving up if we can stand to save as much as possible? Hopefully all of us globally and individually will benefit as well from making better decisions. There will be sacrifices; decisions aren’t without consequences. But by and large, there will be a lot more benefits.

I look at my seven-year-old, and how could you give up? How could you throw your arms up when you’re looking at a young person? It makes no sense, because regardless of whether you’re and environmentalist, regardless of what your focus is in life, the one thing that we all have in common—CEOs, presidents, fishermen, the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh—we want the best for our children. We want to protect them. And we want to be able to give them a better life. And the only way to do this is to try.

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