Financial Mavericks and Dirt Peasants
Over the years the study and analysis, perhaps the sociology and psychology of economics, within the world of money and power, has been of keen interest to me. The subject brings up a lot thoughts and feelings, many of them hard to qualify or harder to quantify. Many people try and have tried to understand human nature enough to propose their own ideal ways of wealth, or the study of limited resources. I am by no means an expert in such matters, but with my own way of understanding and perceiving power, wealth, opportunity, I wish to add my voice to such things. I feel that even in the process of writing about these subjects I can discover or enlighten myself about these vital issues. Putting pen to paper, as I explicate, explore, and share, I think that I might arrive at some unique or perhaps insightful assessments in regards to how are world is, a planet of people with greater or lesser powers, authorities, freedoms, and privileges.
Some people equate higher wealth with power and freedom. This can certainly be true for many men and some women, and even in some cases children, in our greater world. Those have-nots look at the “haves” as having life easier, that the cards have been suited for the wealthy, the rich, and that the poor and hard laborers are not given an easy suit in order to lives and survive. In the United States and many other modern countries and regions there is a core belief that no matter at what stage economically one starts, through brains and hard work, tenacity and ambition, and perhaps some luck, that one can surge forward and even become extremely successful and wealthy, resulting in freedom and “power”.
Horatio Alger is a name bandied about in such a case, where “rags to riches” stories truly occur. Talent, smarts, relentless effort, dedication, synergy, or a dozen other terms describing dynamic ideas and business acumen resulting in financial or superior productive outcomes is a reality of life that we see in individuals and groups or organizations the world over. And yet there are the majority who do not enjoy such, plus there are those that suffer extreme poverty. Marx had his answers to such dichotomies, as well as hundreds or thousands of other planners, philosophers, and economists. Many politicians, business magnates, city managers or government workers believe that they have the tools to implement such systems of sharing and growing the wealth. We all have opinions, some more informed than others, some more convinced than others, some more adamant than others. Most of us stick to a lane that works, or maybe only partially works, and we follow through life and find some modicum of contentment and achievement through those means. Most people in the United States and elsewhere tend to flourish more as they age, but certainly not all of us. There are plenty of examples of failure and ruin later in life. Death can arrive earlier, too, which outcome is somewhat final for the individual involved, and sometimes for the many who surround the lost one. It depends. Sometimes the passing of a person can bestow much greater resources to others. Most find this ideal.
Ideal or no, we all are thrown in this mix of competition and quest for stability or fortune. What do we do? I feel like I could wax on about this formula with personal anecdotes or observations for a long time, comparing some who studied and advanced in degrees, others who worked hard in the fields where they knew that they flourished, others who tapped into the right markets or systems to allow their business to grow and expand, others who may have invested wisely or serendipitously, and on. Sometimes talent wins the day, like with artists that accomplish notoriety and acclaim, or athletes or other either famous or otherwise successful entrepreneurs.
_____BIG BREAK IN TIME: Now November, Almost the End of 2021____________
Where do these thoughts leave us? I’ll re-read this, possibly for the third time, and try to finish it up. Tomorrow, 3 November, the night of my next Arabic class.
Nope! 6 November. I told my wife about this letter, that I need to finish and send.
Typy typy and click click click.
Move on.
Poverty is all part of the human condition, and governments try to assure that all of us are protected and kept living, to some degree or another. Even China and Iran care about those things.
At the end of the day some of us work harder, are luckier than others, get the right break.
I guess that we can agree that all these factors vary greatly, that all of us need a combination of all these things to make it, to advance, to live freely, to live as we wish or please.
I am grateful to be in or of the United States where we have extraordinary chances and powers to be involved and take part in these processes.
May it ever be so.
THE END.
Heh.
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