After having given all his fortune to the charities of his city, he lives in the street
Toulouse (France) - August 15, 2042 - The famous philanthropist Jean-Philippe L. announces his marriage to his ex-partner Farid B. after three years of separation.
Prof. Peter H. - University of Heidelberg: "Biologists consider that competition within and between species is an extremely rare phenomenon in the world of life on earth. Network mutualism, collaboration between species, is the norm. Robust, resilient to the disappearance of one or more of their nodes, networks are the basis for the resilience of ecosystems, their ability to heal."
It has been three years now since Jean-Philippe L., a 54-year-old entrepreneur from Toulouse and head of a successful aerospace company, decided to sell his business after a painful separation from his childhood friend and partner, Farid B.
He had reached mid-life. All his efforts during the first half of his life had been devoted to two things: making money and helping to send a few human beings into space, a few hundred kilometers above the surface of the earth. And if he had to assess objectively the usefulness of it all, he could see nothing. On the contrary: money and conquest of space are two mirages that hide from us the horror of what we do with our supposed power: today in Toulouse, the air temperature exceeded 50°C.
That day, he decided to sell his company. His shares were at their highest on the SB120. He skilfully prepared his succession, and profited by a considerable sum from the sale.
The first year, he used half of his fortune in the support and creation of solidarity, culture and development actions in the poor and dangerous districts of Toulouse, in cooperation with the municipality, the State, dragging behind him his network of entrepreneurs.
In the second year, with popular enthusiasm for the first successes of the movement he created, he engaged citizens to act for better living together, imagining new ways of inhabiting private and public spaces. He attracted talented young architects and urban planners who experimented, with the support of the community, with urban forms that resist and adapt to climate change.
By the third year, the momentum was such that he felt he had nothing more to contribute. He himself was as fulfilled as ever. But he had never gone all the way: he had never given up everything non-essential.
So he sold all his personal belongings, from the apartment in the Saint Etienne district to his villa in the Ville d'Hiver in Arcachon. He gave all his remaining fortune to finance the last solidarity projects in progress, which he recognised needed a little more support, keeping only a pension of a few hundred euros per month to ensure his subsistence. Finally, he got rid of his cars and his wardrobe, keeping only the bare necessities. Jean-Philippe L. found himself benefiting from the support of the homeless people he had himself helped to create. Not a single person was sleeping anymore in the street in Toulouse, thanks to his actions.
Jean-Philippe L. spent his days dozing in parks, walking the streets and talking to passers-by who knew him. He regularly visited the leaders and managers of the projects he had helped to create and develop. He was asked for advice, and he listened. From time to time, he listened to the news of American and Chinese billionaires who were competing in technological feats that were supposed to save a world that was sinking into chaos. He heard about the assassination on Mars of "Emperor Elon I", as Elon Musk called himself, and the attempted rescue of the small community of billionaires who finally wanted to return to Earth.
One night, having decided to sleep under the stars in the park of the Jardin des Plantes, he saw a shadow approaching him. It was his beloved Farid. They made love and Jean-Philippe felt good in his arms, soothed, fully alive and fulfilled. Before falling asleep, he said: "Ambitious people who are driven by the desire to save the world should always first be very precise about its scope".