For many of us, there are those moments in all of our lives when, perhaps on a soft and sultry summer night while laying down on a blanket serenaded by a choir of peepers, crickets and owls, we pause to gaze up at the millions of stars in the night sky. For me, this experience is one that that never fails to reinforce to me just how small we, and the planet that we inhabit, is in the grand design of the universe. For the beauty of it is staggering. I have always found it to be bit a like stretching out underneath an endless canopy of black velvet that is sprinkled with gold dust. There is a silent and timeless allure to it all. This allure and fascination not only applies to astronauts and astronomers. It seems to also hold billionaires in its grip as well.

At this moment in time, all of us are witnessing a space race between two of the wealthiest men on this planet; Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson. Additionally, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is also charting his course to be the first man to conquer the vast and endless reaches of space. To put things in perspective, the personal wealth of all three of these men who are competing against each other to get there first would make Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, and Sir Elton John look like penniless paupers.

Recently, as I watched the coverage of Sir Richard Branson’s inaugural flight to the edge of space; his initial foray to eventually launch a space tourism industry. The fact that the successful flight was made using a rocket plane that was designed and built by Branson’s own company underscores just how serious he is about using his mind-boggling wealth and unlimited resources to reach space. Of late, there has been a growing chorus of criticism around this race between billionaires.

For the record, I’m a great admirer of all three of these men. As a customer, my own personal experience with Amazon has always been positive, and I am truly grateful that we all had Amazon during the darkest days of the pandemic. Again, for the record, I am not lashing out at any of these men, as it’s their money, and they can spend it as they choose. The fact is that they are all engaged in philanthropic efforts across a broad range of disciplines and I applaud their generosity and their humanness. Following the lead of Bill Gates with his enormous financial efforts to fight poverty and climate change, Jeff Bezos has also bellied up to the bar by committing $10 billion to combat climate change. A stunning contribution. When all is said and done, none of them have to do this, and yet they do. Because they do, the world, and the lives of many people, is better because they do channel their personal fortunes into causes where a positive difference is needed. We’ve all been shocked and appalled by the disclosure that their corporations pay little or no taxes, and that has simply got to be changed.

Perhaps I’m more than a little naïve in saying that I don’t believe that the tax scenario is the result of them being bad or evil. Truth be told, they probably aren’t even aware of what their armies of high-priced tax experts are doing on their behalf. These are people who have much bigger things to think about. They’re not like the rest of us, as they travel to the beat of a different drum. In the grand scheme of things the truth is that their empires have expanded to the point where they have become infinitely bigger and more complex than the brilliant men who founded and run them.

As seen through my eyes, the calls from people who suggest that these captains of industry should be a bit less focused on, and seemingly obsessed with, competing against each other to get to space, and be more focused on doing more to help people here on Earth doesn’t really hold water. Branson has signed the “Giving Pledge” to commit more than half of his wealth to philanthropy and charities. For those who are complaining so loudly, and demanding that these guys do more here on Earth, the question begs to be asked, what more would you have them do?

It’s also worth noting that without their ongoing charitable contributions and personal involvement that shines a light on an array of serious issues that find people in dire need, think about how worse-off millions of people out there would be today without the efforts of Bezos’ Branson’s and Musk’s of this world. I believe that we are better off for having the support of these billionaires. In the final analysis, they make a significant and positive difference in improving life for millions of people who they don’t even know and will probably never meet. So I encourage them to keep reaching for the stars.

Paul Collins is a freelance writer from Southborough, Massachusetts.