Global markets, world communications, clashing cultures,
politics and all the rest. An open, competitive global economy is raucous, wild
and for now, quite unpredictable. You bet! And we are seeing the results in the
melt down of China ’s
stock market.
Many investors shudder at China ’s situation and feel,
evidently, that it will affect all markets everywhere. And so America ’s stock
exchanges react with thrilling drops in value! Well, that’s one way to get the blood
pumping in the new, cold year!
It need not be so. And calmer minds know this.
The fundamentals of the American economy are sound. Labor
markets are returning to sustainable growth patterns. More importantly, newly
skilled labor components are entering the market and supporting employers’
requirements for a smarter, skilled staff roster.
The financial recession of 2007-2012 was a doozy. Its
remnants continue to live on; there are components of the economy that still
have not returned to healthy status. But the cautious note taken from that?
Past health is not a precursor to what will be health in the future.
Simply put: the future holds entirely new things, standards
and expectations for us all. Yes we must have housing; but no, the old
standards will not likely stand. We will seek new standards that are not only
sustainable, but also supportive of quality of life development. Social
interaction of the family will be the focus. Private space for individual
thinking, study and meditation will be provided. Interaction between indoors
and out-of-doors will be highlighted. Aesthetic design components will be
included. Location and transportation issues will be much more accommodated
than in the past, that is, adjacency to shopping, work and social obligations.
These are the critical elements in housing that will dictate
how Americans will choose their housing accommodations. Until then old housing
stock will be targeted for refitting, demolition and replacement. The new
opportunities will use land more efficiently, redraw commuting maps and
challenge both interior design efficiency as well as utility consumption
efficiency. Walking distances will be more important; reduction of family auto
fleets will occur.
Such fundamentals will dictate many other factoids of
economic measurement. China
is a manufacturer of consumer goods for the world. That is what they have done
for the past generation. They have a future of more of this, but remember the
risks: consumer patterns change; manufacturing investments have shorter
thresholds of time going into the future.
Change and adaptability are the by-words for the future.
You may scratch your head and wonder if I’ve been taking too
many naps! But no. Think on this: England has been around for well
over 1000 years. It is landlocked. It is surrounded by oceans. It has had a
global empire now reduced to modest size. Yet it is a world leader in music,
art, academic research, and culture. English people are bright and productive.
They value life without drenching themselves in the glitter of snobbishness and
visible baubles of success. They are down to earth!
Can we honestly say that about our own countrymen? I don’t
think so.
Quality of life is a complex of issues. It defines who we
are as people – as humans. I’m not at all sure America has done a good job of
projecting us as models of excellence in this or any other department of life.
Oh, maybe garishness is a model! And selfishness and greed. And wearing
stupidity as a badge of honor: gun ownership without safeguards from violence;
anti abortion and anti child care mentality; and so many other examples of
this.
Quality of life is about developing a person’s potential. It
is about self-sustaining happiness, creativity, appreciation of art as
expression and communication, and valuing human life in all of its forms.
Now back to stocks. Stock values. China .
How do these relate to quality of life? Exactly? Does a
currency value on stocks one day or one week matter to a lifetime of
accomplishment and adaptability to productive change? Whose value structure are
we using these days?
Oh, for a nap listening to Mozart’s Requiem followed by a
good read. Now there’s a value structure that interests me.
January 12, 2015
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