I hope it because they became really wealthy during their lifetimes and not because of their personal philosophies...
Uh oh..
To your dismay, I must regretfully inform you that despite the fact they've aggregated a great amount of wealth, which deserves just as much recognition, they are my heroes mostly because of their personal philosophies.
I've read close to all there is to humanly read and know mostly all there is to humanly know on Warren Buffett from a third-party perspective, and I can, with great certainty and accuracy, refute any and all allegations regarding the perceived negativity surrounding his character or financial decisions, unless that is of course his political or religious affiliation; that's a personal issue. Anything impersonal that can be more or less discerned through fact checking is fair game if you have any qualms regarding his moral or ethical conduct. Of course, that too is of personal opinion, however I can assure you that he is a man you would enjoy speaking with if you are like most men or women. Despite my spelling error regarding his name, Warren Buffett is my hero and I value what he has taught me, even if he is unaware of the tremendous value he's assured me through his teachings. If you want to disagree with his personal philosophies, be my guest-- to each his own -- however, do note that he is going to donate almost all of his personal wealth (99%) to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as other charities, upon his death; a total value ranging from over fifty billion dollars to an upward future amount of two hundred billion, depending on the circumstance of Berkshire Hathaway, dedicated to philanthropic work for the betterment of society. That is of course in addition to the 2.8 billion he donated earlier in the year. Also in addition to the fact that he was, early on, one of the sole proponents advocating that all wealthy men and women pledge themselves to giving away 99% of their wealth upon their death, arguing that: society has given us lucky individuals an extraordinary opportunity and that it is only reasonable that society receive the wealth in return.
As for Robert Downey Jr., I am more a fan of his story and take after his charismatic personality rather than applaud him for his personal or philosophical decisions. In fact, I don't know much about him other than what he says in his interviews, what I read about him in biographical narratives, and what I see on the internet from time to time. Of course, he could be a tremendously terrible person who could be a closeted bigot, misogynist, mini-hitler in a suit, but I doubt that. Rather, I look at his story with inspiration, as he dealt with drug addiction all of his life before taking control of his future and deciding to become the RDJ we know today, who at times is confused as Tony Stark. To me, it is remarkable how a man can go from the lowest of the low to the most sought after man in the world, at least in Hollywood. It wasn't necessarily because he was a special actor of any sort, yet that could be argued for, but it had more to do with his then misplaced cocky-yet-confident attitude appearance that allowed him to propel himself. He's simply a nice success story who also happens to be undeniably interesting, to me at least, due to his witty-intelligent remarks, the way he carries himself both on and off-stage, and the fact the dude is multi-talented. He's, simply put, a collection of awesomeness. And hey, who doesn't want to be described like that?
Perhaps I may be a bit less informed in respect to R.D.J, but I like the dude and that's pretty much a personal issue, right?
If you don't agree with my choice of heroes, take pity on my soul for me.
