Mark Zuckerberg blessed with baby girl: Here is what Facebook CEO wrote to his daughter
San Francisco, Dec 2: Facebook Inc. co-founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday he and his wife would give 99 percent of their Facebook shares to charitable purposes.
On his Facebook page, Zuckerberg posted "A letter to his new born daughter".
Here is what he writes to his daughter Max
Dear Max,
Your mother and I don't yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You've already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.
Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.
While headlines often focus on what's wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today.
We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation.
We believe all lives have equal value, and that includes the many more people who will live in future generations than live today. Our society has an obligation to invest now to improve the lives of all those coming into this world, not just those already here.
But right now, we don't always collectively direct our resources at the biggest opportunities and problems your generation will face.
Facebook CEO pledges to give away 99 percent of company shares
Consider disease. Today we spend about 50 times more as a society treating people who are sick than we invest in research so you won't get sick in the first place.
Medicine has only been a real science for less than 100 years, and we've already seen complete cures for some diseases and good progress for others. As technology accelerates, we have a real shot at preventing, curing or managing all or most of the rest in the next 100 years.
Today, most people die from five things -- heart disease, cancer, stroke, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases -- and we can make faster progress on these and other problems.
Once we recognize that your generation and your children's generation may not have to suffer from disease, we collectively have a responsibility to tilt our investments a bit more towards the future to make this reality. Your mother and I want to do our part.
Curing disease will take time. Over short periods of five or ten years, it may not seem like we're making much of a difference. But over the long term, seeds planted now will grow, and one day, you or your children will see what we can only imagine: a world without suffering from disease.
Technology can help build superpowers: Mark Zuckerberg
There are so many opportunities just like this. If society focuses more of its energy on these great challenges, we will leave your generation a much better world.
•
•
•
Our
hopes
for
your
generation
focus
on
two
ideas:
advancing
human
potential
and
promoting
equality.
Advancing
human
potential
is
about
pushing
the
boundaries
on
how
great
a
human
life
can
be.
Can you learn and experience 100 times more than we do today?
Can our generation cure disease so you live much longer and healthier lives?
Can we connect the world so you have access to every idea, person and opportunity?
Can we harness more clean energy so you can invent things we can't conceive of today while protecting the environment?
Can we cultivate entrepreneurship so you can build any business and solve any challenge to grow peace and prosperity?
Promoting equality is about making sure everyone has access to these opportunities -- regardless of the nation, families or circumstances they are born into.
Our society must do this not only for justice or charity, but for the greatness of human progress.
Today we are robbed of the potential so many have to offer. The only way to achieve our full potential is to channel the talents, ideas and contributions of every person in the world.
Can our generation eliminate poverty and hunger?
Can we provide everyone with basic healthcare?
Can we build inclusive and welcoming communities?
Can we nurture peaceful and understanding relationships between people of all nations?Can we truly empower everyone -- women, children, underrepresented minorities, immigrants and the unconnected?
If our generation makes the right investments, the answer to each of these questions can be yes -- and hopefully within your lifetime.
• • •
This mission -- advancing human potential and promoting equality -- will require a new approach for all working towards these goals.
We must make long term investments over 25, 50 or even 100 years. The greatest challenges require very long time horizons and cannot be solved by short term thinking.
We must engage directly with the people we serve. We can't empower people if we don't understand the needs and desires of their communities.
We must build technology to make change. Many institutions invest money in these challenges, but most progress comes from productivity gains through innovation.
We must participate in policy and advocacy to shape debates. Many institutions are unwilling to do this, but progress must be supported by movements to be sustainable.
We must back the strongest and most independent leaders in each field. Partnering with experts is more effective for the mission than trying to lead efforts ourselves.
We
must
take
risks
today
to
learn
lessons
for
tomorrow.
We're
early
in
our
learning
and
many
things
we
try
won't
work,
but
we'll
listen
and
learn
and
keep
improving.
•
•
•
Our
experience
with
personalized
learning,
internet
access,
and
community
education
and
health
has
shaped
our
philosophy.
Our generation grew up in classrooms where we all learned the same things at the same pace regardless of our interests or needs.
Your generation will set goals for what you want to become -- like an engineer, health worker, writer or community leader. You'll have technology that understands how you learn best and where you need to focus. You'll advance quickly in subjects that interest you most, and get as much help as you need in your most challenging areas. You'll explore topics that aren't even offered in schools today. Your teachers will also have better tools and data to help you achieve your goals.
Even better, students around the world will be able to use personalized learning tools over the internet, even if they don't live near good schools. Of course it will take more than technology to give everyone a fair start in life, but personalized learning can be one scalable way to give all children a better education and more equal opportunity.
We're starting to build this technology now, and the results are already promising. Not only do students perform better on tests, but they gain the skills and confidence to learn anything they want. And this journey is just beginning.
The
technology
and
teaching
will
rapidly
improve
every
year
you're
in
school.
Your
mother
and
I
have
both
taught
students
and
we've
seen
what
it
takes
to
make
this
work.
It
will
take
working
with
the
strongest
leaders
in
education
to
help
schools
around
the
world
adopt
personalized
learning.
It will take engaging with communities, which is why we're starting in our San Francisco Bay Area community. It will take building new technology and trying new ideas. And it will take making mistakes and learning many lessons before achieving these goals.
But once we understand the world we can create for your generation, we have a responsibility as a society to focus our investments on the future to make this reality.
Together,
we
can
do
this.
And
when
we
do,
personalized
learning
will
not
only
help
students
in
good
schools,
it
will
help
provide
more
equal
opportunity
to
anyone
with
an
internet
connection.
•
•
•
Many
of
the
greatest
opportunities
for
your
generation
will
come
from
giving
everyone
access
to
the
internet.
People often think of the internet as just for entertainment or communication. But for the majority of people in the world, the internet can be a lifeline.
It provides education if you don't live near a good school. It provides health information on how to avoid diseases or raise healthy children if you don't live near a doctor. It provides financial services if you don't live near a bank. It provides access to jobs and opportunities if you don't live in a good economy.
The internet is so important that for every 10 people who gain internet access, about one person is lifted out of poverty and about one new job is created.
Yet still more than half of the world's population -- more than 4 billion people -- don't have access to the internet.
If our generation connects them, we can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. We can also help hundreds of millions of children get an education and save millions of lives by helping people avoid disease.
This is another long term effort that can be advanced by technology and partnership. It will take inventing new technology to make the internet more affordable and bring access to unconnected areas.
It will take partnering with governments, non-profits and companies. It will take engaging with communities to understand what they need. Good people will have different views on the best path forward, and we will try many efforts before we succeed.
But
together
we
can
succeed
and
create
a
more
equal
world.
•
•
•
Technology
can't
solve
problems
by
itself.
Building
a
better
world
starts
with
building
strong
and
healthy
communities.
Children
have
the
best
opportunities
when
they
can
learn.
And
they
learn
best
when
they're
healthy.
Health
starts
early
--
with
loving
family,
good
nutrition
and
a
safe,
stable
environment.
Children
who
face
traumatic
experiences
early
in
life
often
develop
less
healthy
minds
and
bodies.
Studies
show
physical
changes
in
brain
development
leading
to
lower
cognitive
ability.
Your
mother
is
a
doctor
and
educator,
and
she
has
seen
this
firsthand.
If you have an unhealthy childhood, it's difficult to reach your full potential.
If
you
have
to
wonder
whether
you'll
have
food
or
rent,
or
worry
about
abuse
or
crime,
then
it's
difficult
to
reach
your
full
potential.
If
you
fear
you'll
go
to
prison
rather
than
college
because
of
the
color
of
your
skin,
or
that
your
family
will
be
deported
because
of
your
legal
status,
or
that
you
may
be
a
victim
of
violence
because
of
your
religion,
sexual
orientation
or
gender
identity,
then
it's
difficult
to
reach
your
full
potential.
We
need
institutions
that
understand
these
issues
are
all
connected.
That's
the
philosophy
of
the
new
type
of
school
your
mother
is
building.
By partnering with schools, health centers, parent groups and local governments, and by ensuring all children are well fed and cared for starting young, we can start to treat these inequities as connected. Only then can we collectively start to give everyone an equal opportunity.
It
will
take
many
years
to
fully
develop
this
model.
But
it's
another
example
of
how
advancing
human
potential
and
promoting
equality
are
tightly
linked.
If
we
want
either,
we
must
first
build
inclusive
and
healthy
communities.
•
•
•
For
your
generation
to
live
in
a
better
world,
there
is
so
much
more
our
generation
can
do.
Today
your
mother
and
I
are
committing
to
spend
our
lives
doing
our
small
part
to
help
solve
these
challenges.
I
will
continue
to
serve
as
Facebook's
CEO
for
many,
many
years
to
come,
but
these
issues
are
too
important
to
wait
until
you
or
we
are
older
to
begin
this
work.
By
starting
at
a
young
age,
we
hope
to
see
compounding
benefits
throughout
our
lives.
As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation. Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.
We
will
give
99%
of
our
Facebook
shares
--
currently
about
$45
billion
--
during
our
lives
to
advance
this
mission.
We
know
this
is
a
small
contribution
compared
to
all
the
resources
and
talents
of
those
already
working
on
these
issues.
But
we
want
to
do
what
we
can,
working
alongside
many
others.
We'll
share
more
details
in
the
coming
months
once
we
settle
into
our
new
family
rhythm
and
return
from
our
maternity
and
paternity
leaves.
We
understand
you'll
have
many
questions
about
why
and
how
we're
doing
this.
As we become parents and enter this next chapter of our lives, we want to share our deep appreciation for everyone who makes this possible.
We can do this work only because we have a strong global community behind us. Building Facebook has created resources to improve the world for the next generation. Every member of the Facebook community is playing a part in this work.
We can make progress towards these opportunities only by standing on the shoulders of experts -- our mentors, partners and many incredible people whose contributions built these fields.
And we can only focus on serving this community and this mission because we are surrounded by loving family, supportive friends and amazing colleagues. We hope you will have such deep and inspiring relationships in your life too.
Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children. We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. We can't wait to see what you bring to this world.
Love,
Mom
and
Dad
OneIndia News