Reprise & Update: Miketz: Joseph,
The Financial Crisis & Hanukkah
Cowabunga, Buffalo Bob
Howdy Doody Show
In the Torah portion, Mi-ketz, per the
Pharaoh’s dream and David’s inspired interpretation, the 7 emaciated cows
(representing 7 years of famine) ate the seven fatted cows (symbolizing for 7
years of prosperity) without gaining any weight – establishing germination of
the Atkins weight loss diet plan(Schwartz).
2018 update: actually it was also the
first Ketogenic Diet.
Holy cow!
Cubs Broadcaster Harry Carey
The Judaic Koan (not Cohen) is all is
foreseen yet one has free will.
The 7 prosper years followed by the 7
years of famine was foreseen. Some would say preordained. Yet, Joseph’s
faithful actions of storing grain for the 7 lean years is evidence of free
choice within the predetermined.
Joseph could have:
·
Done
nothing
·
Suggested
hedonism
·
Interpreted
the dream differently
Of course, there will be hard core
determinists who state even Joseph’s recommendation was predetermined. (If so,
then determinists why incarcerate criminals as their actions are predetermined
per your argument against compatabilism?)
The present financial crisis (2007)
was not without dreams of 7 fatted and 7 gaunt cows. The difference was the
actions chosen taken before and since this current challenge.
The ‘Genesis’ of the present financial
meltdown was the matchstick of ‘no half sheckel’ – no skin in the game. (2018
Update as well and more importantly NO SOUL IN THE GAME.) The domino effect
aside, without ‘skin in the game’ (nor soul in the game!)– ‘a half sheckel’ -
foreclosure is an easy option for this type of ‘owner.’
If the ‘owner’ had 20% of his or her hard
earned money/sheckels – skin in the game (instead of 0% or near 0%)– as an
original down payment, the house worth less than paid for originally or not,
subprime or reset loan being loan modified or not, would the ‘owner’ so easily
take a foreclosure or more prone to OWN UP to his or her responsibility??? (1)
No grain was stored during prosperity
for the lean years in housing. (Retropective Update: Storing went – against the grain – of immediate gratification)
-
Via the Almighty’s inspiration, Joseph
foresaw the 7 lean years (famine) following the 7 years of prosperity per the
interpretations of both the cow and corn stalk dreams. Making a free (without
restraint as Viceroy) willed choice (choosing the desire of enduring tomorrow
at the sacrifice of today), Joseph, understanding Enough in contrast to More
(2) made provision to endure the downturn storing grain. Rather than managing
assets for (More) today and
tomorrow– he managed the goal (Enough)–
to survive, thrive and even prosper (enriching the Pharaoh further ironically)
during the projected lean (unbearable) years.
In financial planning, despite client’s
protests of ‘lazy assets with low returns,’ I have suggested, in the past, a
minimum of 2 years of living expenses in money markets as well as paying off
their house regardless of the Dow making all time records. Herein was the ‘lean
cow reasoning’: to be able to endure the
inevitable downturns without having to sacrifice at fire sale and emotional
craziness otherwise valuable assets and more importantly their goals. Afterall,
why ‘sacrifice’ what you need (Enough)
for what you don’t need (More).
Most listened begrudgingly (given the
acculturation of a culture of Acquisition r Us – my dog’s bigger than your dog Moreonic thinking). Inoculating with
continual ‘drive by naggings’ about Enough
(2), most despite their repeated rebuttal objections of “mortgage interest is
deductible, and I can get a higher return on my assets” acceded to avoid continual
naggings and the dreaded Schwartz, ‘I told you so’ (3) moreso than due to the
wisdom of Enough.
Those who didn’t (More-ons) are now, unfortunately, getting a hard Less-on. (4) (It is surprising to me,
though out of practice 12 years, that I haven’t been blamed with the More-on
complaint of ‘yes, you warned, but it’s your fault – you were not persuasive
‘enough’ yet.)
And now, like the majority of
overleveraged Americans, a few have their ass-ets in a crack – their goals
jeopardized and failed, scapegoating all except themselves.
Enough
to live on; Enough to live for.
ENOUGH,
Schwartz
Acquisition may palliate for a while,
but it can’t eliminate bodily extinction and the fear thereof. Acquisition of More through it attempts to elongate
the anesthesia with ever increasing (More)
dosages to get the same palliation and avoidance fails despite more toys,
bigger toys to avoid toying with the under lying fear of bodily extinction
which is identified as ‘oneself’- ‘my sense of self.’ (I am I because I
have……). Having does not endure being – except character.
Assuming faith, there is one thing, a
person can take with himself – character – completed, refined, tested.…
Not MORE toys, acquisitions– but character.
Not ‘MORE than’ compared to another – but character derived from the
tests (nes) of moral free willed choices(5)
After the leaves have
fallen, we return
To a plain sense of
things…
The great structure has
become a minor house
Wallace Stevens, The Plain Sense of
Things
Thus,
when the game is over, the king and the pawn both go back into the same box.
So now, the emaciated, withered, wasted
cows have come home to moo, Reverend
Wrong – and many MORE-ONS are ‘eating the moo,’ as we use to say in
Philly -
Having a cow! – per Bart Simpson
Cowabunga! – per Chief Thunderthud
on Howdy Doo-dy.
More for more’s sake – a Howdy Doo-dy
Don’t
Enough – a Howdy Doody Do
Tonight is Erev Hanukkah – celebrating
the festival of light. Having but 1 days portion of oil for light – the light
lasted 8 days as the Maccabees defeated the enemy. The miracle of lights?:
Enlightening – as less can become Enough.
Miketz, Enough, Hanukkah: – questions and tests of character.
(1) - the unholy public policy of enabling
liberal democrat pandering criminals who lit the matchstick. As the saying
goes, you don’t give a kid a firecracker and not expect him to light it – nor a
subprime mortgage.
(2) – here is the one case where ‘over’
vaccination was necessary given the continual, recurrent, overwhelming backdrop
of More Influenza
(3) – as my father would say, ‘a big person
wouldn’t run it saying I told you so.’ I’m short.
(4) – More, Better, Now, in time, becomes
Less, Worse, Later © Jim Schwartz
