There is an old Chinese saying – a curse some say, that goes: “May you live in interesting times.” I have always liked that expression. It speaks volumes, I think, and certainly resonates now.
As most of the world knows, the U.S. has a new president-elect. I confess to being much more interested in the leadership race here than back home, perhaps because – we have to admit – the American president's actions have much broader consequences in the world than our prime minister's.
But I'm not going to talk politics; I don't consider myself to be a politically savvy individual (just occasionally opinionated). I'm just more thoughtful about how we're here in this time and place during such 'interesting times' and only history will tell whether it was a curse or not.
At least one of our neighbours lost her home to the bank. Friends and former co-workers are looking for jobs with flagging optimism, the newspapers quote pundits that predict things as “getting worse before they get better” and even companies such as General Motors are taking drastic measures (pensioners recently had their once-sacred medical coverage slashed) to stave off ruination. The Federal Government is besieged by pleas for bail-outs and rescue plans at every level.
Yet on a personal level, I am very grateful for the soundness of Phillip's employment – Qualcomm has operated and continues to operate without debt and is therefore more secure than most large companies that employ thousands. They are not unaffected of course, and have slowed down hiring, among other measures, but selfishly, I am relieved that we are relatively secure where we are. We have discussed our lifestyle and habits, and perhaps it is because we have always made a point of living within our means that we have never suffered major setbacks. Even when my store closes and I'll join the ranks of the unemployed – hopefully for the short term - we will be alright.
I know there is more to individual situations that we truly see, but the most common criticism I have heard for those who have lost equity is that they were foolish to commit to debts they could not really afford. I am reminded of our first two months here; house-prices were astronomical and rising, banks were offering us over half-a-million in mortgage loans and we were left breathless and boggling at insane frenzy of consumerism. Luckily, we're both cautious people and have learned from at least one 'buy in haste' mistake. We stepped back, took a deep breath, then took our time finding a place that suited our needs. And since neither of us is terribly materialistic, our needs are fairly simple. Only in the last year, with dual income and generous bonuses, did we loosen our purse-strings enough to finally buy a wee car; it's been four years here, after all.
I guess the reason I'm saying all this is because it feels necessary to point out that even amidst the hand-wringing predictions of gloom, and the honest hard times of struggling households, things are still okay. Perspective is everything - that is another favourite expression of mine that I try to apply as often as possible in my life. I believe Obama's brains are his best asset and though no single person can fix this country's problems, he seems to be able to inspire those around him to do their best. One of the things he said in his victory speech was wanting to “bring back the notion of responsibility”. If he shows signs of doing doing that, here in these times, I will remain optimistic.
As most of the world knows, the U.S. has a new president-elect. I confess to being much more interested in the leadership race here than back home, perhaps because – we have to admit – the American president's actions have much broader consequences in the world than our prime minister's.
But I'm not going to talk politics; I don't consider myself to be a politically savvy individual (just occasionally opinionated). I'm just more thoughtful about how we're here in this time and place during such 'interesting times' and only history will tell whether it was a curse or not.
At least one of our neighbours lost her home to the bank. Friends and former co-workers are looking for jobs with flagging optimism, the newspapers quote pundits that predict things as “getting worse before they get better” and even companies such as General Motors are taking drastic measures (pensioners recently had their once-sacred medical coverage slashed) to stave off ruination. The Federal Government is besieged by pleas for bail-outs and rescue plans at every level.
Yet on a personal level, I am very grateful for the soundness of Phillip's employment – Qualcomm has operated and continues to operate without debt and is therefore more secure than most large companies that employ thousands. They are not unaffected of course, and have slowed down hiring, among other measures, but selfishly, I am relieved that we are relatively secure where we are. We have discussed our lifestyle and habits, and perhaps it is because we have always made a point of living within our means that we have never suffered major setbacks. Even when my store closes and I'll join the ranks of the unemployed – hopefully for the short term - we will be alright.
I know there is more to individual situations that we truly see, but the most common criticism I have heard for those who have lost equity is that they were foolish to commit to debts they could not really afford. I am reminded of our first two months here; house-prices were astronomical and rising, banks were offering us over half-a-million in mortgage loans and we were left breathless and boggling at insane frenzy of consumerism. Luckily, we're both cautious people and have learned from at least one 'buy in haste' mistake. We stepped back, took a deep breath, then took our time finding a place that suited our needs. And since neither of us is terribly materialistic, our needs are fairly simple. Only in the last year, with dual income and generous bonuses, did we loosen our purse-strings enough to finally buy a wee car; it's been four years here, after all.
I guess the reason I'm saying all this is because it feels necessary to point out that even amidst the hand-wringing predictions of gloom, and the honest hard times of struggling households, things are still okay. Perspective is everything - that is another favourite expression of mine that I try to apply as often as possible in my life. I believe Obama's brains are his best asset and though no single person can fix this country's problems, he seems to be able to inspire those around him to do their best. One of the things he said in his victory speech was wanting to “bring back the notion of responsibility”. If he shows signs of doing doing that, here in these times, I will remain optimistic.
Peace,
K & P
