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Blogs by Erik Hare
Sacred and Profane 1/28/2008 6:12:29 PM
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that I get a lot of mail when I write about spirituality and the economy. Funny pair, that is. Do I get a lot of mail because it’s something everyone is interested in, or because my take on them is a bit odd? It has to be the former, since these are the hot issues in public debate these days. Oh well, it’s not all about me. Tuesday is mail day, so let me go at ‘em all the same:
I think panic is the right word to describe what’s going on in the market. But what do you do with your 401k when everything is collapsing? That’s the advice I’m looking for.
Junk silver and tuna. If you’re sure the financial apocalypse is on is, you should invest in silver coins that are worn and worth nothing but their silver content (junk silver) and canned goods that will allow you to weather any storm.
No, seriously, that’s just my joke. “Junk silver and tuna,” I say all day long.
I would never be the person to take financial advice from. I’m a student of human behavior and when people are way above their heads in their situation. That’s where nearly everyone is on Wall Street right now, so if you can take comfort in feeling about as queasy as the ‘experts’, it’s something. Then again, that may make you feel worse.
I would love to know what the flow of money is in and out of 401(k) funds right now, if anyone can send me a link. My hunch is that between Baby Boomers approaching retirement (and not interested in losing more than they have to) and people redeeming accounts for cash to settle mortgage problems, there is a likely net outflow from these accounts. I may be wrong. But keep in mind that a rising market means that money is coming in from somewhere, and a sinking market means it is leaving. The flow of money is the big issue, and if you can predict that you can predict the market.
On to more lofty concerns:
Asian philosophy fascinates me, too. Everything seems so different and beyond our reach. What do you think is the most important thing to get when trying to understand it all?
That’s easy, at least to me. Western thought seems to go in straight lines, as if eternity is a line stretching from one start and going off forever into the gloaming. The Asian version of eternity is a circle that is retraced time and time again, in cycles. People sometimes have trouble understanding a topic I’m droning on about, and it suddenly occurs to me that this fundamental difference in thinking has made us talk past each other. That’s the one thing that I have completely accepted as my own personal perspective on the world. I’m not Asian, but it simply makes more sense to me. After a while, I have to admit that at times I don’t understand my own native culture.
Back to earth:
What is up with Bill? Does he think he’s helping Hillary, or what?
I guess he thinks he’s helping. I don’t get it, either. People who are really good at fighting just keep fighting, often unaware of the damage they’re doing. I think it’s too late to reign him in, as the damage in South Carolina was severe. Honestly, I’m not exactly an Obama supporter, but the scene of all those people at his headquarters, all ages and races, made this Son of the South proud that he lived to see the day. I used to think that the Palmetto State was going to be forever unreconstructed, but I was wrong. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.
If Bill doesn’t see that people want to go that way rather than keep fighting the old battles, his instincts aren’t anywhere near as good as I thought.
Do you think I have something unusual and intelligent to say? Do you think I’m a total idiot who doesn’t have clue one? Either way, and all ways in between, I love getting mail from people. You keep me honest and you keep me writing. I can’t thank you enough for the practice and the love and the many, many ways you make me a better thinking, writer, and person. Send me mail as wabbitoid47 at yahoo.com and tell me what you think! Thanks for everything.
