Diversify Your Life

In all recorded history there has not been one economist who has had to worry about where the next meal would come from.
-- Peter Drucker

People love to be sold hope. They'll also be sold fear. An economist sells both, seemingly on a whim. Financial advisers, stock brokers, portfolio managers -- they all have the same thing in common: trying to convert other people's money into their hopes or dreams. Alternately, they try to diminish the fears of investors by giving advice on how to prevent disaster.

When all goes well, it's their cunning brilliance that brings in the paycheck. When it all falls apart, then "it wasn't supposed to happen this way", "no one could have predicted this", and "well, that's just the market-based economy for you". It seems to be a win-win game for people involved in projecting the economy. They have turned an already inexact science (at best) into a masqueraded-oft-confusing guessing game, all the while planning their next meal.

Plastics!

Spice of Conversation

I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.
-- George Bernard Shaw

How true. People love to talk about themselves, especially when it can get them things. People like to think that they're funny and witty, even when they're not. Some people are simply amazed that they had the gall to write or speak something, so when they realize this, they take every opportunity to make others aware of their bold declaration.

As with most things, moderation is key. It's productive to highlight the good, and bad, things we say because we have the ability and responsibility to learn from our actions. But when it goes beyond our own self-advancement and steps into obnoxious self-righteousness, that's when the "spice of conversation" turns into a repellent.

Quoth the Raven

In another valiant attempt to jump-start my blog habits, I'm trying a new idea: I've subscribed to a quotations mailing list and each morning, I will be emailed four quotes from various sources: pop culture, literature, great thinkers, etc. I'll choose one, re-quote it for your pleasure, and attempt to reflect on the quote in whatever way I see fit. I only envision it as a one-to-two paragraph response -- and sometimes maybe less -- but it may be something fun to do.

My first email should arrive in the wee hours tomorrow morning with, hopefully, my reflection to follow a few hours later.