the trouble with prosperity

The trouble with prosperity, wrote one Wall Street analyst, is that it is necessarily temporary. James Grant, one of Wall Street’s wisest commentators, theorized a model of “economic predestination” based on human behavior. Prosperity tends to breed overconfidence, which often leads to brash and risky behavior. When the economy is booming, Grant would be wary of a certain downfall to come. Egos often inflate quicker than the market, which eventually leads to a market correction. Likewise, crises encourage realism – a back-to-basics approach of how to handle a particular problem and emerge from it. In short, Grant theorized that when times are prosperous, the outlook will soon get worse; but in dismal times, one should expect to soon see the silver lining.

I think that is a microcosm (or macrocosm?) of the cycle of life in individuals. Those who are living the life and rolling the dice now should be cautious. A good life often leads to sloppiness, idleness, and satisfaction with the status quo. But for those of us who are in some sort of personal recession, things are looking bright.

See the bird with a leaf in her mouth

After the flood all the colors came out