Realizing the Dream

Standing on the ownership side of the home deal feels too good to put into words at the moment. But that will pass. . . as all things do. More life-lessons to absorb along the way, all good in the end, however. The real show in the big tent was unfolding all around our own small side venue of home buying, not really affecting what we were doing in any major way, yet altering things in major ways in the larger arena of life for the social body of this country; and likely the world.

As I marched through the machinations of home buying, dealing with one stumbling block after another to reach the hopeful goal, the comparison of my ordeals to the ones unfolding in the big tent of the larger social body were drawn into sharp contrast. I was buying a home while millions of Americans were losing theirs. My life was finally arriving at a point of comfort and security when so many other lives in this country were finding their lives and livelihoods evaporating by the day. I am not here posting feelings of personal guilt for social loss or misfortune of others. I do certainly empathize for other's misfortune, as any caring individual might. It is comment on the juxtaposition of my life as it was, to what it is now, and the reversal of fortunes in the larger social context due to 'business cycles' and practices, as they are applied in today's world of monetary policy.

I arrived at this thinking from reading "Paper Money" by Adam Smith, a pseudonym for Georgy J. W. Goodman; 1981. One of those books I picked up a number of years ago in a used book store finding it to be one of those. . . "I'll read that someday when I have some time. . ." I've lost count of the passing years since that purchase. Possibly, the interval of time has been a good thing, with the message of the book being what it is, focusing on the fundamentals of how money, especially paper money, affects the social body and in turn is affected by the social body. Much like Einstein's principle of participation, when dealing with Quantum Physics. In order to measure active components or variables of the quantum world, one has to sort of actively participate or be a part of the quantum world, and thereby one alters things in perceptible ways. Just a bit, but enough to change things as they might have been without the participation. One cannot measure without participating, and participating alters things. Much like money in a society. Goodman's thesis is precisely this point. Monetary policy in theory is not the same as the flow of money in an open society, due to the participation of those that handle the money, borrow the money, profit from the money, etc. That's even without the concept of credit. Things become far more complex with that variable added to the mix.


The historical flow of this monetary policy covers roughly the past two-hundred years, with the focus of this flow centered during the 1930's, being the defining point of 'before and after' much like BC and AD is for our calendar of historical time. There were recessions and depressions of sorts before 1930, but none that stuck in the social psyche as the 'big one' did. What is most interesting to me is that the old dictum of history repeating itself still holds so true to course. The loss of confidence in the currency of the dollar, which has been the world standard since WWII, drives individuals to put their money into more seemingly valid items, such as gold, silver, and real estate. His historical overview of the 1970's and the real estate boom is but a precursor to what unfolded in the years after 2000. Deja Vu all over again. . . Apparently we had a much bigger party this last time around than during the '70's. Same results, just farther flung and more painful to more individuals.

The results of these recurrent actions are pricely the 'participation' of individuals upon the makeup of money in society. We are not all out to achieve the same ends or use the same means to those ends. The very thought of this is philosophically repugnant to "Free Market Capitolists". Everyone living comfortably, within their means, in a steady and progressive manner brings up words like 'socialism', 'communism', 'Maoism', 'mediocrity' and 'anti-Americanism', to name a few. The American psyche was built upon H. L. Mencken's "manifest destiny" which heralded the gold rush fever of 1849 which has never truly abated our ideals of rags to riches dreaming. For who doesn't want to strike it rich? Be famous, idolized and adored? Can we forget programming like "The Lives of The Rich and Famous". . .? Or the reality television programs post-ceding that. It's all about invisioning ourselves as those we see being idolized and worshipped for their wealth or notoriety. Money flows to where the action is in the big tent, and the barkers are always on hand to direct us to the latest must see event or star, and we're always eager to follow the way so as not to be left out or appear as bumpkins.

The thing that constitutes wealth. . . changes over time for each of us. For now, I'm feeling rather wealthy. Not to merely compare myself to someone else's current economic condition. That relationship can change as quick as a car wreck. But from that condition that tells us. . . 'enough'. I have enough. I'm full. Stop eating. I don't really want more. What my new house has given me it time. How interesting is that. . .? Being semi-retired I have time I can spend now, and on anything I choose. It tastes delicious to just write about it. What this brings about is thinking, as one tends to reduce the time spent on spending the entire attention span to doing one's job; for whomever that is for. Turning that time onto one's self, expands the normal time spent therein exponentially. And that is powerful medicine.