The Teachings of Gautama

I found a draft of a post written during my time in India that I thought I would finally publish. However, instead, I have taken  a portion listed below, to start a discussion and introspection. Siddhartha – the quest for Nirvana –  was an interesting read and this post was written as I read it; sitting pool side in India, exploring a new world and yet fearful of eviction from a hotel room I was not paying for.

I’ve begun to read Siddhartha – the epic journey of a man’s attempt to find tranquility (nirvana) in his life. What he discovers in his journeying is that it is not the teachings of the holy men, nor the teaching of Buddha – the being who has transcended this life and founded ultimate nirvana himself – that can give him his insight into bliss. It is only through patience, and self-discovery that his insights can come; can he rid himself of suffering, of pain, of hunger, of worldly distresses.

I have just followed Siddhartha’s path through life in Herman Hesses’ novels. Hesse, attempting to examine the spirituality of India, did so not as a fellow Hindu or Buddhist but as a Westerner raised in Christian Germany. His path is intriguing, and the focus of much of Siddhartha’s journey on requisite patience which can drive a man, especially a Western man, crazy. I find myself now trying to find inner strength enough to wait, to be patient; comfortable in not knowing precisely what I will be doing tomorrow, next week, or next month.

There are countless dualities which continue to define the nature of man. Good and bad; Evil and Holy. The Aztecs saw the duality in their Jaguar Gods of Night and Day. The Yin and Yang served the same purpose and definition in the East. In the West, Heaven and Hell, Angel and Demon, Craven and Courageous all define that same dichotomy within which all men and women are seen. Perhaps we need it to be this way, the Night and Day relationship so ingrained in our psyche that it characterizes our vision and understanding of the world.

Of great importance to me, is that diametrically opposed view that symbolizes East and West – another duality that continues to define the way we see the World. Black and White, East and West, Them and Us. These are the terms we continue to see the world, the international system built upon those dualities that transcend generations and yet remain compartmentalized by Geo-political boundary.

China and Russia are backing Iran. International economic blocs are uniting along these geo-political boundaries that have nothing to do with interest but everything to with mentality. It is again the West vs. East as it was during the Cold War. Hu Jintao and Medvedev backing Ahmadinejad. Iran + Russia + China = WIN?. If we continue to approach these same nations, these same cultures, these same leaders with the mentality of Westerner’s as did Herman Hesse approach the wanderings of an ascetic;  Can we truly be able to move beyond thinking of dualities to develop a unification? Is duality so ingrained within all people that it is impossible to overcome for peace and prosperity.

Ultimately the teachings of Gautma require patience, inevitability, and self-acceptance to move beyond pain, suffering, and condemnation. How do we become comfortable letting the “Others” develop while we wait and see? I wonder….

HGMW

 

 

Foreign Aid & The Problem with China

China: America’s Private United Nations

Foreign aid is the act of bringing in money that may be intended to be repaid or not, but more generally is recognized as meant to stabilize or build a nation. Globally, foreign aid is used as a method similar to the treatment of a critical patient in the ICU– to stabilize the nation when it cannot stabilize itself. As it works, however, is to pay for a cycle of fund allocation within the nations

As African nations well know, often-underdeveloped nations will have very specific national industries that are highly competitive. In the form of cashew plantations, coffee plantations, timber, aluminum, or diamonds these industries are national resources. In the forms of car manufacturing, steel mills, or textiles the industries are secondary or intermediary business profiles. In either case the industries are generally the best paid, most stable, and highest in revenues for the undeveloped nations; these are seen as wise investments with the largest payouts to tax and rebuild infrastructure or maintain stable employment. These industries are also the most corrupt – run by government – nationalized – and used to market the smaller countries to the world.

Those nationalized industries become the poster child of the countries, and are protected from competition through policies that provide incentives and non-competition pacts. Expensive export tariffs are placed upon the products of these smaller nations, and the funds redistributed from those tariffs to the other programs. However, if the tariffs are so great as to make those industries uncompetitive they will falter and the entire nation falters. The delivered aid is that catalyst promoting redirection of funds; it only makes things worse.

As the international aid rolls in, the tariffs increase because the money allocations necessary for running the country are lower. The government hurts the industry of the nation, and investment does not occur – it only lining the pockets of the leaders – not reinvested into the nation as it should. The foreign aid goes into programs that are normally used to run the nation and there is no benefit; no social surplus. Most importantly however, the foreign aid is not meant to be repaid.

American Aid?

The American home is now seeing this same trend but instead of aid we receive loans – still, I argue,  that will never be repaid. As the industries began to fail, the US government nationalized them – much like we see in underdeveloped nations. The financial industry failed through poor government policy – two of the largest lenders were nationalized. The auto-industry failed and yet was bailed out by the government – those that failed are now owned and operated by the national government. The money that is being used to bail out those industries is paid for, not by taxpayers, but by China. We cannot pay for them, the US budget is in a multi-trillion dollar deficit. What we see are the same phenomenon that appear in those African nations – foreign aid comes in, industries used to employ and sustain the nation are nationalized as they begin to fail because they are not internationally competitive, and the aid can’t be repaid – as no social surplus is increased, inefficiencies largely remain, and the industry is left in the red. The nation suffers.

Dilemma

So, what do we do with our debt to China – our outstanding bonds especially? Well, we don’t repay it. We can’t repay it. This is the danger. What happens when the Chinese finally understand that we cannot repay our debt to them? Will loans dry up when our bonds are forfeited on or we will just print more money? Will there be war? I’m not so sure… all I can say is that the United States is taking aid from an aggressive and antagonistic country that is beginning to look more like a knee-cap breaking Mafioso than a neutral nation nurturing our nepitism; currently the policies are the same – in the future our debt becomes our failures. Don’t believe me? Well look at the rhetoric coming from the People’s Army in China in response to our sale of military technology to Taiwan: They want to SELL our debt! Economic warfare at its finest everyone. The Chinese leaders are now threatening to sell our bonds back in order to help “increase defense spending.” Our dollars, loaned from their Yuan, will pay for those new age fighters the US can’t pay for in order to threaten our antiquated air force in Taiwan – Oh how the tables are turning. Oh, and with what money do we repay that debt? With the dollars that don’t even need to be printed – the dollars that can simply be digitally created with those beautiful 1s and 0s.

A Voice of Reason

Now, I’ve been listening to Peter Schiff for a little while thanks to my roommate’s suggestion, and I must encourage any and all people to check him out. From either sides of the aisle, this guy makes sense. He draws attention to the fiscal policies of the US and the ramifications for the future. Schiff identified the coming housing-bubble, identified correctly the massive currency crisis we now face, and has some insights for the future that may shed insight to America’s long-term situation. His speeches at the Mises Institute are fascinating, funny, and expansive.

I encourage everyone to follow the link provided. Please, if you disagree with my statements above reply, and let’s discuss!

HGMW

October 2009 – The Return of California

The California Promise

A lot is happening in good old California. The Dodgers are in the National League Championship Series, Tech stocks are beginning to recover, and the returning champion Lakers are starting their new season – hell even the Niners aren’t looking too bad! With the economy recovering, and the sun shining after an early Fall rain – could we be seeing the revitalization of California; a return to the days of Golden State pride, and an entrepreneurial spirit?

Well, no. Even with the upturn in national indexes and the continued feeling of Hope that our boy Obama rode into the White house, we simply can’t believe that this economic disaster we call 2008 is behind us. Sure, we’re above 10,000 and housing prices have stopped that free fall into poverty that put so many Americans upside down. Sure, sports revenues are up, commodity prices are lowering, and the world hasn’t ceased to exist by simultaneous nuclear devastation at the whims of one Middle Eastern Mad Man or that short Asian dude in one of the Koreas. We’re not through it yet – maybe for the better.

The question each American should ask our self – are we living any differently than before? Purchasing trends haven’t changed, % of income used for non-essentials has not shown signs of dropping, and the over leveraging of our livelihoods hasn’t changed. The spirit of America – work hard, work for yourself and family, support yourself and your community – isn’t showing signs of returning. People aren’t changing, the economy won’t either. What we are seeing instead of the “self-made man” is the “government run Robin Hood.”

The Obama Education

While I am the first to admit that I don’t believe interventionism is the key to successful management of the economic structures that characterize a free and efficient democratic market; I will also be the first to say that Obama’s address to schools was not out-of-place, and the more I think about it, is exactly what our society needs. On the face, without knowledge of what he said, Obama seems to be invading the sanctity of American education – the government’s ability to indoctrinate the populace if it address the younger generations is simply not to be trusted. The President’s address to children, was, however, far  from the indoctrination that most pundits demonized it as. The President, in what I consider his best moment yet (and perhaps only), gave the kids exactly what our culture of consumerism and celebrities denies – a valuation of hard work, a reminder that one does not get ahead without demanding more from yourself before you demand more from others. Obama gave so many kids what their parents have failed to offer. This is the scariest part. He delivered a necessary comment, devoid of politics, to a generation that has been forgotten by their community that no longer exists.

If those spending trends and over leveraging haven’t changed even through economic encouragement that occurs once in a generation, perhaps it’s the wrong generation. Perhaps the kids of television became the adults of overspending, maybe the Denizens of Disney became the Debutantes of Decadence. Perhaps, our generation is too far gone; this is the assumption that drove the President to talk with the children; an uncorrupted youth being dangled the dreams of Reality television and after-school programs without parental interaction or a friendly neighborhood with which to rely.

I offer what scares myself and the majority of our intelligentsia in America.

When someone takes a role in a community, the human response is to rely on that person for whatever it is they provide. Quickly, that person is looked too for whatever it is they provide – it becomes not an addiction, but an acquiescence of responsibility. We know that person will be there; that need will be taken care of – the community forgets how to provide on their own. This situation is fine in small communities where accountability and punishment ensured that particular need was attained. What happens when the person or entity providing that necessity is far away?  A dissociation occurs; the need is taken care of, no need to worry – no need to even think about it.

Here is the main political dilemma that has been debated for centuries, and its incarnation exists today in all realms of our lives. It is too bad that finally, and subtly, the situation has devolved into a foreseen need for our President to guide the children – it is through necessity, not partisanship, that we arrived here.

How it Happened

We relied on Disney movies, TGIF, Urkle, Full House, and more to deliver the principles of life – but that was okay as long as the principles were fine, morality upheld – grounded in lessons of hard work, love, and communal living. The slippery slope has now led to the Reality television, worthless celebrity with no skills able to get rich quick on game shows, celebrity living, and “The Real World.” The social structure – the definition of principles that hold our people together – no longer values community, no longer demands hard work, no longer offers solace in the knowledge that devotion and commitment are valuable. We have become a global  community idolizing talentless Gods, devoid of talent, and utterly worthless in their narcissism. Our life is a narcissistic experiment. We have become a society that NEEDS OUR GOVERNMENT TO INTERVENE, AND EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN! It shouldn’t demonize our President, it should demand more from ourselves.

The Golden State

California cannot become the State of Dreams and Opportunity without understanding what we need; not what we want. The economic crises was a clue that hasn’t finished in its ultimate price of overspending, over-leveraging, interventionism, and reliance on government management. We are yet to see the impact of our de-evolution.

Stay tuned folks, maybe we’ll find out together.