Is Sting a Chode?

Yesterday, news that The Police frontman, Sting, wasn't passing his $300 million fortune to his children spread like wildfire. Some people, like myself, saw this headline and thought, "what a chode," until I read his reasoning. Other people didn't really care about his reasons, and came out verbally saying, "what a chode."

Sure, it's reasonable to come to the "he's a chode" conclusion when you read the the twisted headlines the media created, so it didn't favor Mr. Gordon Sumner (Sting's birth name). I read headlines such as "Sting: My Kids Won't Inherit My Wealth" and "Sting Doesn’t Plan on Passing Down a Cent to His Children." And sure, based on this, it makes Mr. Sumner look like a selfish greedy (fill in expletive here). However, when you actually read the articles and get to the bear bones of his reasoning, Sting's views actually make a lot of sense. So, what are these views then that I'm referring to? Basically, Sting is a self made man. He had to work to get to the financial position he's in - there's really no arguing that. The Police weren't exactly contestants on American Idol or The Voice. No, they paid their dues and worked hard to achieve the level of success they now have. Plus, let's not forget all of Sting's solo works. He simply feels his children should, basically, share the same work ethic he has and not expect everything to be handed down to them. And, I have to say, this is a very admirable quality for Sting to possess and share. He recently told the Daily Mail "They (his children) have to work.  All my kids know that and they rarely ask me for anything, which I really respect and appreciate.” He doesn't begrudge them anything, he just simply doesn't "want to leave them trust funds that are albatrosses round their necks." He went on to add, “Obviously, if they were in trouble I would help them, but I’ve never really had to do that. They have the work ethic that makes them want to succeed on their own merit.” In my mind, that's pretty good parenting.

There was one thing that Sting did say that didn't really make a ton of sense to me and that was "I told them (his kids) there won’t be much money left because we are spending it! We have a lot of commitments. What comes in, we spend, and there isn’t much left.” Sting's worth is valued at over $300 million. Now I understand that when you are financially prosperous that you tend to purchase more and larger items. However, $300 million??? What are his commitments that require that much money? He didn't elaborate on that, however, so while I don't think chode is necessarily an appropriate term, financially unsound might be a better title for this artist. I can't really say, as I don't know what these numerous "commitements" are, but wow - $300 million - that's REALLY COMMITTED.

So, take it at face value and make the decision for yourself whether or not you agree with Mr. Sting. Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.