Bernie Madoff is a living example of EVIL and GREED run amok! Today, he received the maximum sentence (150 years) for the estimated 65 BILLION DOLLARS that he defrauded from investors over a 20 year period. Madoff is 71 years old. I was thinking earlier today about Nan Hunter being 70 years old. Can you even begin to imagine two more POLAR OPPOSITES? First and Foremost, Nan ALWAYS cares about people: it was why she started Almaden Country School. And PEOPLE (connecting people in good and meaningful ways) is one of the things Nan does brilliantly. The last thing Nan cares about in the world is money and/or power.
In contrast, Bernie Madoff 's total lack of caring for others has FINANCIALLY RUINED lives of friends, family, coworkers. The enormous fraud perpetuated by Madoff is staggering. You have to wonder: WHAT WAS HE THINKING? Did he really think he could get away with the deceit? How can you betray people like this and live with yourself? Many of his investors/victims lost their entire life savings and will never recover.
To watch the unraveling of Madoff's empire reminds me of a quote by the Greek playwright Sophocles who said: "I would rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." It seems so obvious but I guess if someone lacks VALUES and standards of any kind, maybe it isn't so clear. Perhaps Madoff will have opportunity to consider his avarice and actions of the last 20 years as he spends the remainder of his life incarcerated!
