Reflection and Review: Forty Chances by Howard G. Buffett
It was in fall 2013 that I first picked up a copy of Howard G. Buffett’s book 40 Chances: Finding Hope In A Hungry World, and I had meant to both read the book and write a review within days of the book’s release. I had accomplished half of the goal; I had read it quickly, but I was not able to write a review. I had hoped to write the review partially because in the last section of the book, Mr. Buffett dedicates 2-3 pages to the story of Nuru International and Jake Harriman. Given that I’ve known Jake and his family for more than half of my life, and that he and I have been passionately working together to address extreme poverty from Nuru’s beginnings, I wanted to read and share this book with others.
But, as often happens with many of us, time got the best of me. I finished reading the book, and then I was recovering from running the Marine Corps Marathon as well as stepping up my travel for Nuru. But, four years later, I still want to share this book with others. The reason why I wanted to share goes beyond Mr. Buffett’s stories of impact in his own work to address global hunger specifically, or even as a result of him giving mention to Nuru and Jake among many organizations that are doing great work. Mr. Buffett’s life has been an interesting one. He is a farmer, photographer, and philanthropist, and he has been able to experience and document some incredible experiences in this book.
But, I wanted to write this review because of the title of the book, 40 Chances. The idea comes from a lesson Mr. Buffett learned about farming when he was younger. He says that an average farmer has about 40 chances, or 40 growing seasons, to improve on their farming and harvests in their lifetime. He makes the connection to his own work in addressing hunger, but the metaphor lends itself well to every arena.
In the book of Psalms, Moses implores God, Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. I believe 40 Chances, as much as it is a series of 40 stories of hope and lessons with regard to addressing hunger, for me it is a reminder that we each have limited time on this earth, and we should make the most of it. Maybe I’ll live longer and be able to use more than 40 years to make a contribution in the world; maybe it will be less. Regardless, it behooves me to live each of my days ensuring that I am aligned with my purpose and that I am taking ground, moving forward and improving with the limited time I have. And that’s true for all of us.
So, I do recommend giving 40 Chances a read, and taking time to consider what you might be able to do to address the food insecurity and hunger that one out of five of our global neighbors confronts as a daily reality, and further, I encourage you to give consideration as to how you will use your own 40 chances to make a contribution to a better world for the next generation.