I've had lots of conversations with different people over the last few months trying to understand the financial crisis we find ourselves in. It's a concept that my brain has trouble absorbing. I start out strong and convicted that I'm going to learn the real answer and then start trailing off as my conversation partner continues to explain....Insert JA's thoughts here:"hmmmm, what flavor of frozen yogurt actually is my favorite? or maybe I actually prefer sorbet now"...."who was the cutest Brady brother: Greg, Peter or Bobby?".... "I wonder if the lent that comes out of the dryer filter can actually be composted or if that's just a myth...." It's as if, without fail, at some point my brain shuts off or is unable to understand the words they are saying- almost as if they began speaking in Chinese.
It seems as if everyone is playing the blame game too. The Democrats blame the Republicans. The Republicans blame the Democrats. Who exactly do you believe? It seems there is ample finger pointing in the industry itself- banks, mortgage companies, mutual funds & stockbrokers....all befuddled and bemuzed about what exactly happened and who's fault it is. Now here we sit....waiting to see what Obama's move is going to be. I have a feeling he has no idea how to fix this big fat mess we are in....I have a feeling that nobody does.....I have a feeling the big whigs all start thinking about what flavor frozen yogurt is their favorite or how much they really hate the cantelope flavored jelly bellies when they are asked what to do....they don't know any more than I do.
Jurriaan Kamp, Editor-in-Chief of Ode Magazine wrote an editorial in the November 2008 issue which helped me understand on a small level what has happened to our financial system. While it is in general terms his message is very clear. I could try and paraphrase his words but his letter was so perfectly written I dare not try.
The Need for Tulips
"The very first recorded investment bubble had to do with tulips in the Netherlands in the 17th century. At the time, new tulip varieties were traded at prices 20 times higher than the annual income of a skilled craftsman. In one story, someone even bought a special tulip bulb with 12 acres of land. The bubble burst, as they've done so many times since.
We tend to think bubbles are wrong. But they serve an important purpose. They finance creativity, opportunities and economic growth. The tulip mania of the Dutch Golden Age brought the development of many extraordinarily beautiful flowers. In the 19th century, many people made- and subsequently lost- a lot of money building the railways that provided the necessary infrastructure for the Industrial Revolution. Without the railway bubble, there wouldn't have been an Industrial Revolution. More recently, we experienced the Internet bubble that imploded in 2000. Again many people lost a lot of money after others made fortunes. Yet the bubble laid the foundations for the digital infrastructure driving today's economy.
For the past few months, we've seen a new bubble bursting. It looks like the same story all over gain. But it isn't. First of all, the losses are much bigger than during the Internet bust. The housing crisis threatens the very roots of the international financial system. But there's something else: It isn't so clear what upside this bubble has served. Granted, more Americans than ever own their own homes. But the rise in home ownership over the past decade hasn't been so big, perhaps a few percentage points. That rise doesn't explain the huge amounts of money now being lost.
The housing bubble is a consumption bubble. Americans have borrowed $1 trillion more than they earned over the past 10 years. And they spent that money. Not on railways, digital infrastructure or, for that matter, renewable energy projects. No, they spent it on consumer goods, most of which have, well been consumed by now. So that tragedy of the current bubble is that after the dust has settled and balance has been restored in the market, there isn't much to celebrate. The party is simply over."
excerpted from the Letter from the Editor, Ode Magazine, November 2008
Well....alrighty then....and there we have it. In this age of uncertainty and turmoil, each of us can play a part in moving forward toward positive change. Don't wait for Obama. It's each of our responsibilities to fix the present so that our children and grandchildren will have a decent future to walk into.
Oh, and by the way, Ode Magazine is a must read for "Intelligent Optimists." It's smart but not over your head. Most of the articles are pretty short and easy to understand. It promotes hope for global change. It's different and refreshing!
