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Ending the Crisis

Chris Farmer RSS / 07.01.2011. u 13:31

I have had just about enough.

We have now drifted into the third year of GFC (that is the Global Financial Crisis and specifically NOT Going For Coffee) and everyone is STILL nay-saying the economy and waxing gloomy about the prospects for this year.

What do you think for this year? Do you see any signs of improvement? Do you think we are out of it? Do you think it will continue? In the questions we should see the answers. The point is that nobody really knows, and everyone seems to be turning to friend, neighbor, family member, and random guy on the street waiting for the light to change to see if the light will really be changing or not. 

And what color will the light be? And what will it mean?

Any of you in the banking sector and financial service industry who may be reading will pooh-pooh me and my adopting an overly simplistic attitude toward the GFC - and you are probably right. It is always safer to be Eeyore and drone along with the half-empty-glass philosophy ad nauseum. There is a certain self-fulfilling prophecy in this. We predict the Worst; we wait for the Worst; and, sooner or later but more often sooner than later, we GET the Worst. Hurrah for us! We were right! The world really has gone down the crapper!

Enough, really.

I therefore am establishing a Crisis Free Zone. In this zone, which will encompass both myself and people within the immediate vicinity, the glass will be officially half-full. The Crisis Free Zone is ambulatory, moving with me to all of my meetings, gatherings, receptions, and maybe even to the gym. The Crisis Free Zone is constructed of only a few key materials and, I believe, should be built to last. Some of the materials to be used in its construction include 1) getting back to work; 2) reasonably healthy optimism; 3) adaptability; 4) confidence that the world has not yet ended.

The GFC is not only a socio-economic phenomenon. It is a viral infection. The banks caught it by playing outside in the snow with no hat. They spread it to industry. Industry spread it to distribution. And distribution has exposed the consumer. The consumer (i.e., you and I and the random guy at the traffic light) is a hypochondriac. Some consumers may have actually contracted the virus, but most are merely worried sick about becoming sick through worry. When we think that we could catch something, we usually find a way to do so. We often speak about a market in terms of "consumer confidence" - it is either up or down, high or low. But in reality, consumer confidence is always high. The consumer is always confident that the Good Times will last forever and that Bad Times will have no end. Until something changes it one way or the other.

Hence the Crisis Free Zone. In this Zone, the only real rule is just to get on with things. So much time has been wasted during the past three years of the GFC in belly-aching, self-pity, complaining, crying, and commiserating that we can lose sight of the reasons for it. The main reason being that things used to be better. Why? Because we worked at it, and we believed in it, and we behaved as if it were normal.

Gentle Readers, this does not in any way undo any of the damage that we have allowed the GFC to cause in its path of destruction. Nor does it underestimate the task ahead. But in creating this Crisis Free Zone, my intent is to reignite the spirit of keeping calm and carrying on. Moreover, this will never work if it is only I who invoke the Zone. I encourage all of you to do so. Let everyone make a Crisis Free Zone around him or herself starting today (well, ok, Monday let's say). Adopt the initials "CFZ" into your signatures. Let everyone know that we are not at home to Mr. Crisis.

PS: My next project will be to create a mobile Smoking Zone but suspect it will be slower to catch on....

Atačmenti



Komentari (9)

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yugaya yugaya 14:42 07.01.2011

:)

You may inform the half-empty glass holders that CFZ has already made advances across the border. I'm never at home for bad news or thriving-on-desperation pundits anyway

And if I may, I'd like to add a link to explain the story behind the motto you illustrated your blog with :

Keep Calm and Carry On

monamia monamia 16:16 07.01.2011

Re: :)

I encourage all of you to do so. Let everyone make a Crisis Free Zone around him or herself starting today (well, ok, Monday let's say).


Talking to me ?!
I already started, but you gave a very, very good tittle to my new..day after day life.
Yess, these are bad times, many of us are sick & tired much too much,
Guess it's easer - as usual - to say "keep calm and carry on" then to do it 4 real.

What is my defense ?!
Long, long Walking.
Writing.
Trying to catch some sleep.
Long, long walking again.
Writing again.

By the way, I never count on Time.
Time doesn't heal.By me.

What really heals is good ( good, not strong or only strong ) will to do something, to move ANY direction.

Said all this wondering have I spoke on the theme you wrote in such a fantastic blog.
One of those that - trying to find exit & bit of hope - in fact hurts.
Because This Crises Hurts.

Going for walk..



Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 08:32 12.01.2011

Re: :)

yugaya
You may inform the half-empty glass holders that CFZ has already made advances across the border. I'm never at home for bad news or thriving-on-desperation pundits anyway And if I may, I'd like to add a link to explain the story behind the motto you illustrated your blog with :Keep Calm and Carry On


Excellent! The CFZ should have no borders.

And thanks for the gloss on the poster...
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 07:09 13.01.2011

Re: :)

monamia
What really heals is good ( good, not strong or only strong ) will to do something, to move ANY direction.


The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

- Robert Frost (1923)

Thanks for the kind remarks.

CBF
mlekac mlekac 22:14 07.01.2011

OMG!

It so nice to find someone who appreciate CFZ!

But, in my case, it's a bit tough, because I'm married to one whose glass is always half empty. So, he says that I am optimistic without reason.

And I say, fine. I'd rather be optimistic without reason and feel good, then pessimistic and miserable my whole life.

BTW, sing me in for MSZ, too.

Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 08:36 12.01.2011

Re: OMG!

mlekac
I'd rather be optimistic without reason and feel good, then pessimistic and miserable my whole life.


There is a common misconception that optimism and postive outlooks are for the congentially stupid. Perhaps being "optimistic without reason" is only a matter of perception. It makes its own reasons.

The easy road is to be dour about everything - then you can NEVER be disappointed.

CBF
d j o l e d j o l e 10:30 10.01.2011

Brilliantly

In the questions we should see the answers.

written

sotonskigmaz sotonskigmaz 12:21 11.01.2011

I wonder

I wonder how your Crisis Free Zone would fare if you were one of the poor saps to lose their jobs and their livelihoods in this recession. Or if you had to work three jobs just to get by - feed your kids and pay the bills on time.

It's easy to be crisis free when you're privileged.
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 21:57 11.01.2011

Re: I wonder

sotonskigmaz
I wonder how your Crisis Free Zone would fare if you were one of the poor saps to lose their jobs and their livelihoods in this recession. Or if you had to work three jobs just to get by - feed your kids and pay the bills on time.

It's easy to be crisis free when you're privileged.


Even if this response was somewhat glib, I will decline to give it an equally inappropriate reply.

The “privileged,” it must be known were probably not nearly as immune as you believe to the crisis. The “privileged” lost jobs and homes alongside everyone else.

If you were referring to yourself, then I am deeply sorry. The point of this piece was to replace defeatist thinking with a more pro-active attitude. Clearly (although surprisingly) I was too subtle.

Arhiva

   

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