MacKenzie mindset
MacKenzie Bezos is not acting like a woman scorned.
There is no hellstorm or fury. Instead, all we are getting from the about-to-be divorcee are kind words for her husband Jeff Bezos, the richest man on earth. In her Twitter account, MacKenzie reportedly wrote she was "grateful to have finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff with support from each other and everyone who reached out to us in kindness."
Not bitter at all, right? Especially after all those revelations that Jeff was seeing another woman, the details of which were about to be splashed in National Enquirer, that tabloid. So essentially, she was cheated on. Despite this, though, I see no trace of anger in her words.
Unlike couples who split up acrimoniously, fighting for every last cent, MacKenzie seemed to have no qualms in giving up the economy of an entire country to her husband. Her words: "happy to be giving him all of my interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin, and 75 percent of our Amazon stock plus voting control of my shares to support his continued contributions with the teams of these incredible companies".
Considering she still ended up the third-richest woman on the planet, it was probably still a good deal for her. (Although personally, while I'm happy for her, I do wish she had pressured Jeff to allow cheapos like me free access to the Washington Post website. I hate getting blocked after the few free articles every month).
Perhaps, what is working for MacKenzie, unlike other women in the same situation, is that she is seeing this separation as an opportunity. An opportunity to do other things? That was very evident in her statement that she was “excited about my own plans. Grateful for the past as I look forward to what comes next.”
There wasn't any hand-wringing or wailing about a now-lost past life. This is all about anticipation and relish at what life still had to offer to her. An attitude to be emulated by similarly-situated divorcees?
Of course, MacKenzie has billions, infinitely more resources than the average separated woman. She can buy a luxury hotel, instead of the normal bed and breakfast that form an integral part of the retirement dream of a retiree. She can assemble a Michelin-starred culinary staff for her own posh restaurant, instead of the corner cafe commonly started by single moms. She can found a charity instead of having to scrape the dregs of goodwill remaining among friends and acquaintances.
But, the principles should be the same, right? It should be possible to see the positive in the negative, see the silver lining, appreciate the good in the bad? Right?
Who am I kidding. Those gazillions are still very much in the way of forming perspective.
What would we do, with that fortune to spend in our lifetime? Where would we step off to? Lead a life of leisure? Travel non-stop? Pursue hedonistic pleasures? That would probably bore after a while. Or be really taxing on not just the body, but the human spirit.
Many billionaires leave monuments, so their lives are made to count for something even after they go. They know they can't bring their wealth with them, so they construct edifices and grand structures. The Philippine taipans, for example, donate school buildings that are named after themselves. They look for meaning. And a permanent place in history.
The Microsoft couple is going around the world supporting worthwhile causes with their $50 billion in assets. George Soros is funding democracy and upsetting dictators in the process. What will MacKenzie end up doing?
Personally, I would probably meander around collecting art and build a museum, so MacKenzie, you know whom to contact if you need somebody to help you.
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