I find what's lacking out there in the financial markets is a lack of real perspective. Everyone is drilled down in their own little existence and not realizing that he is the next guy.
Here's what I mean: there is an attitude that if I do just this one thing wrong it won't matter because the next guy won't and /or the next time I won't. This attitude leads to everyone doing something wrong from fudging the books, to leaking information, violating tax and SEC laws to polluting the planet and food chain. With the singular mind we think we operate in a vacuum. There is no vacuum for any one of us to hide in regardless of our profession or actions. Each action one takes has a ripple affect. Always assuming that just this one time I'll alter the books, falsify records, push a bad loan the reality is if you are doing it the other guys are doing it too.
We all have a personal accountability to the health and well being of the markets and the planet. Infinite resources are an illusion. Tearing down just this one section for clear cutting won't hurt anything until whoops it's all torn down. I really believe a cultural adjustment realizing that greed isn't any good because man as a collective and as an individual doesn't have the will power to stop himself.
The idea that greed is good rest on the assumption we won't destroy it all because we are greedy and therefore we'll make sure to preserve it all so we can keep being greedy. That's a helluva an assumption and man has demonstrated time and again he doesn't have that kind of self control. Greed is just a speeding car with no brakes.
The maximization of markets, profit and products eventually strips our finite resources and leads to blood baths and war. Each time an individual breaks over with the rationale oh just this one time, and next time I won't cheat, steal, pollute, kill, lie, drink, have dessert, is just flat out delusional and it just accumulates into never ending excuse making and faulty rationalizations.
Frankly man kind hasn't shown the ability to consider the whole of existence, the complexity of the interrelated reality that is our biosphere, our well being, and our economy. He is only in it for himself to the detriment of all and "so what" is the cocky half baked macho answer.
Those people couldn't be more stupid. What's wrong with that? If we are all only in it for ourselves then there won't be any "in it" left for anyone. King of the hill of an uninhabitable planet. Keep stock piling the nuclear weapons, keep fighting over resources, keep struggling and killing for control. It's the self destructive tendency of man to think he is a universe unto himself and that his individual actions won't affect anything or anyone at all - especially when doing wrong. That is our collective downfall and the delusion and denial we sell to ourselves.
If we don't make the right choices in our daily lives we bring much more than just ourselves down. Schemers, scam artists, charlatans, crooks and liars whether in the financial markets, politics or our personal lives ruin it for us all. Turning a blind eye towards them is foolish. Lionizing them is downright suicidal. Punishing them as hard as we punish drug addicts would be a start towards a collective security for our very existence personally, in our financial markets and our planet. Without our planet and all that was put here before us we have nothing to sell, harvest or eat. Ask yourself how is it that we need laws to prevent over fishing. Because when you get down to it we have a very narrow consciousness, are selfish greedy little children in our outlook, and have little to no self control.
We have a lot of growing up to do and I find those that struggle for power, wealth and fame are the least enlightened of us all. In terms they might understand we can not AFFORD to be short-sighted.
Paul Burke
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