Thursday, January 26, 2012
An Uninformed History of Economics Versus Humanity.
I can't wrap my head around the world federal debts as posted at http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock. Different web debt clocks display conflicting readings, but there is no denying the debts owed are alarming. Dare I say it, we need to see a paradigm shift in the way we think. Now I'm not the expert who can tell you what we need to do. It looks to me that we need to stop pointing fingers. Its not the fault of an entire demographic. We can't blame the rich for having money. We can't blame those who have lost their jobs for being poor. We need to regroup. We need to educate. We need to take the complexities out of doing business. Now what I'm going to say isn't how I envision the future, but its a mental exercise. I picture the old west just the way it is portrayed in the movies. I imagine one could walk into a camp with a horse and wagon, enough gold to buy a piece of land, and some tools. You could cut some trees, build a store, and with probably less than five fairly simple documents, be running a successful business. It was harder work then, but it was simpler. Now everything is inflated. The land, the building costs, the labour, the taxes, the legal protection, insurance, etc. is huge. Most people forgo the complexity and find a job with an established company. This is why I find myself working at a corporate box store, and I'm in debt. I'm not complaining about my debt. I take full responsibility for it, and I'm managing it. Now everybody expects instantaneous gratification. As retail customers, we feel jilted if a store doesn't have the product we are looking for when we walk through the doors. 120 years ago? We were happy to know we could have our mail-order product in however many weeks it took. We need to stop being irrational consumers and start seeing our fellow souls for who we are. We need compassion back. Heck, if we were all compassionate enough, we might start forgiving each other some of our debts, and that could make a big difference on the international scene. Realistically, we should get back to focusing on what we really want versus what we really need. We should be more self-sufficient where possible, we shouldn't be dependent on our governments, and we should expect our governments to be accountable for their expenditures, especially when it comes to dropping bombs on foreigners. At any rate, I believe some good financial advice should be distributed. Your thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I believe it was it Paul Mooney who said "Everyone wants to be a nigga, but no one wants to be a nigga!"
ReplyDeleteSorry for the vulgarity, but that's the first thing I could think of with this. Everyone wants economic harmony and honest governments and balanced checkbooks, but virtually no one actually wants to accept the facts and face what needs to be faced in order to accomplish these goals, like holding those in power accountable or not spending 30% or whatever the figure is over what they make.
People like and want the ideal, but they're not willing to actually live the ideal.
Further to my point, I think it's cause people are afraid to sacrifice because they don't know what sacrifice actually means. Back in the mid 20th century, there was this little thing called World War 2 which affected everybody. Everyone knew someone who either came back with physical and emotional scars, or came back in a box because they fought for what they believed in, and I think that carried over into ideal like the civil rights movement. That generation knew that sacrifice was necessary for gain.
DeleteWhat have we had? Military battles done with advanced technology with little casualties against, let's face it, trivial things. There's no real threat other than a possibility of a chance of potential for a maybe 9/11. We are so far removed from what sacrifice is anymore.
What is the sacrifice in having responsible politics and finances?
DeleteThe sacrifice of complacency. No one wants to act anymore because they haven't had to act. They're in a comfortable slump and they don't care until the after-effect, and even then they still just take it lying down because they don't know how to act.
DeleteSo we are apathetic because we are told that we are apathetic?
ReplyDeleteWhen did we start avoiding giving answers to questions? Are we too concerned with what "they" might think? Universally accepted moral grounds should have some stance in establishing political and financial interactions.
Then again, it would be comfortable living as a house pet...
Maybe we think they have too much power because they have kept the status quo for too long, and that drives the complacency? For whatever reason, there is a fear of their power despite the fact it is us that gives them power.
Delete