ancient history; primitive thinking
A friend sent me a blog about the shakedown of the elites. The link is http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200905/imf-advice/2. According to this author, there will be some human capital paid to bring the “recovery” part of our economy’s natural cycle. In short, some big, powerful people will lose their livelihoods and fortune. For us to see recovery, power and wealth must shift to correct a gross imbalance. For about 20 years great wealth was made in New York through a structure that eventually broke. Wealth, like energy, will now simply move from one state or form to another. I would gander this is a natural and even healthy process. A kind of paradigm shift that ushers in a more modern and useful economy that provides goods and services that better reflect a 21st century earth.
As far as popular demands for more financial regulation, remember that’ll require legislation and then enforcement, which takes lots of taxpayer money. Bureaucracy brings tax hikes, but then again any solution will have costs. I’m not opposed to more regulation but I believe we can provide more efficient bureaucracy at equal or less cost. I think technology can provide us long-term benefits and we’ll begin to see that this century. Washington was designed with the 18th century in mind–when wealthy, white males ruled a small country built more on ideology than international commerce. We must bring our government into the new millenia. If we spend more on regulation, use technology to make it efficient and simple.
Responsible behavior (self-regulation) is no longer a viable option because money is too powerful a temptation for human beings. What an ugly animal we are. As I’ve said before, in the US Money is God and everyone is religious. Seems silly to blame our entire species for the mistakes of a few bankers in New York, but greed is universal. Homo Sapiens consume to extinction.
Which is why I think that the Chinese and others are fooling themselves with their belief that we exist in harmony and balance with nature. Ancient history; primitive thinking. We destroy our own environment in our struggle for mere survival. Currently we are in a global conundrum produced by our inability to accept the dynamics of our planet. A few financiers in New York thought all was well for them to do their risky business as usual. Keep your eyes shut and cling to habits of the past. It’s all about gettin’ paid.
Gee I don’t wanna go there now, for someone could easily argue that life for humans has developed far more than it’s decayed. Overall, we’re in the black and can enjoy the fruits of our success with pride. Sure there will be a human toll to pay as we advance in our history and evolution, but we are forging an existence that is remarkable. To what end though? What is our motive?
Taoism would laugh and say there is none–and that is precisely our motive.
Buddhism would suggest that I cease my craving for motive.
Christianity would threaten me to put my blind faith in a 2000-year-old story about 1 Jewish man.
Islam would demand that I refer only to the Holy Koran for instruction.
Science would ask me to choose between theories that provide solutions based on my initial frame of reference.
:)rm
born an addict
For the first time since my return to Beijing, I’ve a hankerin’ to write here.
Sadly, It’s due to bad news: the shooting at the American Civic Association in New York.
I wanted to say that my heart has been broken in a way that only America can break it. There is something very drug-like about the USA. We are a nation of addicts, pursuing that higher high, denying any descent or self-destruction, free enough to become lazy and criminal in our pursuit of the next feel-good fix. Me and my high, at any price. We become obsessed and blur any sense of the responsibililty or cost of obtaining or maintaining that good feeling. The highs are the world’s best, and the lows are equally extreme. The downs make addicts mad and crack the stonehearted. The downs kill.
Like this most recent shooting in New York.
I think of the volunteer work I did in Atlanta, at a Civics Center for Asians. At that center, legal Asian immigrants could attend various classes about living life in America. Classes included health, homemaking, and the terrible civics English class that I taught.
I think about the staff and volunteers, but especially about the hard-working students at the center and their strong will and dedication to improve themselves for the good of their families. I remember seeing no exception to that. They were hard working, kind people from all over Asia just trying to improve their lot, pursuing the American dream.
And it breaks my heart to think of those people getting gunned down by some ignorant bastard. A guy who had just enough smarts to purchase a gun, load it, point and shoot.
Such a deeply personal attack on my sense of decency and humanity. It reminds me of my life as an addict, because only the USA can break my heart this badly.
country roads, take me home
On my way to the land of the free and home of the brave. As usual, I’m hoping I make the flight.
first cut is the deepest
美国总统奥巴马第一次电视采访向阿拉伯联合酋长国杜拜的电视台”Al-Arabiya.”
O’s first televised interview was for Dubai-based Al-Arabiya.
picture used without permission
happy 牛 year!
祝您新年快乐! It should be on your life’s TO DO list because it’s a celebration on a grand scale. From about 23:30 to about 00:30 the fireworks are constant and they are everywhere you see. It’s best to go to a high floor in a building, where you’ll have a panoramic view of the entire city bursting with colored gunpowder popcorn.
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在中国首都过年是最好。北京好极了!中国的发展很快,所以现在北京就是在世界里最好城市之一!
感谢北京欢迎我来这里。 ;)
the first was his
Happy Birthday Blog 6 years ago on Martin Luther King day, I began this blog. * * * Here’s my January 20, 2003 blog: you do not have to accommodate ignorance * * * ‘been whistling the same tune all my life |
buttons
The Chinese say “在家靠父母.出门靠朋友” for good reason.
I went to my chiropractor this morning. Decided to take a taxi.
I spoke to the taxi driver in my poor Mandarin, asking him if he knew how to go to the chiro’s office. He did. We drove a few KM and then he asked me what country I was from. From there we had a simple but sufficient conversation about life in China, the USA, and Spring Festival. Most of the questions he asked me were common but those that weren’t I could piece together and so I felt relaxed and encouraged at the slight improvement of my listening skills.
The driver seemed genuinely excited about Spring Festival and he talked a lot about it, which wasn’t surprising to me. Some of the simplest Chinese people I’ve met are taxi drivers. Simple in a good way and sometimes in a bad way but most are simple in a good way.
We continued to talk slowly about life and the approaching holiday and eventually arrived at my chiro’s office at 世纪村。The taxi fare was 11 RMB but I only had 2 tens. I gave him the bills and apologized that I didn’t have exact change, since that can really upset some of the taxi drivers. The driver took one of the tens and handed me the other one back. I couldn’t believe his generosity and without thinking I told him “我想给您春节小费,可以吗?祝您新年快乐!恭喜发财!” As I expected, he didn’t consent to a tip but he responded whole-heartedly to my wish for a happy and prosperous new year and with that he put the money in his pocket. We both knew he’d spend it on his grandchildren or maybe on a pint with his drinking buddies. Either way it was all good.
I exited that taxi feeling really warm hearted. I had a stupid grin on my face walking into the chiro’s office but I was just happy to have had such a sincerely pleasant experience with a native Beijinger. I felt more confident about my practical language skills and happy to have met a nice guy. Together we made a friendly moment happen and that felt good.
When I was a child, my home and parents were the only life I knew. They were like a blanket around me. In the cold they were a thick down-filled coat to keep me warm. As I grew up, more people came into my life and each of them was like a piece of cloth. Eventually I no longer had a single one-pieced jacket of my parents anymore, there were many different pieces of cloth of all different colors, textures and sizes, and what sewed them together were the relations between us. Some stitches are stronger than others, but together there’s a big patchwork of a coat that now keeps me warm when the world is very cold. The people are like cloth and our relations are like the stitches, but then there’s the buttons. The buttons are the random acts of kindness and friendship we offer not just to our friends but to anyone. You can sew a button on any piece of cloth. The buttons keep the coat wrapped around me. If there were no buttons, my coat would fly open in the cold and I’d freeze to death.