Craig Newmark is an impressive guy. I’ll never forget talking with him (and another Internet giant) after a Commonwealth meeting. As people stood around him and peppered him with technology questions, he started to talk about the birds that had been nesting near his house. That kind of grounded perspective is downright refreshing. And since I happen to be a fan of craigblog, I commented on the birds he had been writing about a few days prior. You could literally see his eyes light up.

The birds matter. The color of leaves inspire. This reality is not new, but many of us forget it when we get caught up in another set of values espoused by those at the top of their heap.

We are wise to be careful and respectful observers before we try to apply our best guess about things that can and will impact hundreds of millions of users.

The natural essence of Craigslist is no coincidence, but a reflection of someone who genuinely cares about real value in real (not monetary) terms. You can call him crazy, but when he says things like this to Reuters you know he is really on to something and his influence on the world will last far beyond yet another nouveau riche story:

“Finding a good cause is incredibly hard and time-consuming,” he said, adding that he and Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster agree on not cashing in.

“We both know some people who own more than a billion (dollars) and they’re not any the happier. They also need bodyguards,” he said.

Thank you Craig.