Smiling Buddha, statue in a Buddhist temple in Cai Be, Vietnam,
August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Today chatting with a friend, talk turns to the financial crisis. The stock market dropped over 500 points in a single day earlier this week, and major financial institutions are on the brink of collapse. Am I worried? Yes. Is it going to get worse? Probably. Have I looked at the value of my 401(k) to see what the damage is? Hell no!
Nor do I have plans to. Where I go in times of financial crisis is to the future. One foot after the other, I keep moving forward. If it’s totally out of my control and the damage is done, I try not to worry (although, how can I not?). The truth is, I do my best not to think about it.
Call it optimism, faith, or naiveté—I admit to possessing all three. You could say my theme song is Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t worry, be happy.
I don’t mean to make light of any of this. I know people are financially devastated. Old people living off retirement accounts, people on fixed incomes, and all those folks who not only don’t have the luxury of a 401(k) but who will also feel the pain in other ways—rising prices, home foreclosures, job loss. Often, denial just doesn’t work as a coping mechanism.
How do you respond to crisis? And do you respond differently if the crisis is personal versus when it’s happening outside of you?
Each person handles crisis in his or her own way. If the crisis is dangerous in nature—living through violence or trauma—professional intervention may be necessary. Do you seek help as soon as you know you need it, or do you wait until you’ve reached a point of total despair? And when crisis is manageable through your own devices—prayer, meditation, action, avoidance—what measures do you take?
John F. Kennedy once said, When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters—one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.
I’ve been lucky or blessed. Maybe both. I’ve only had to deal with personal crisis (as opposed to this current financial crisis) one time in my adult life. Oddly, I found that I acted rather than avoided in that instance.
I did everything I could to take the bull by the horns and steer it in a different direction. I also sought solace in family, and when the going got really rough and I got really scared, I prayed.
Think of the different crises you’ve experienced in your life. Did you deny? Sink into despair? Act? Did you turn to God?
Do you see crisis as a moment of torment or a moment of opportunity? Or both?
Where do you go in times of crisis? Write, for 15 minutes, no stopping.
Crises refine life. In them you discover what you are.
~Allan K. Chalmers
I need to send this topic to my husband. He did check his 401K, and did see a huge hit. I thought, hmmm, maybe I’ll find a job I’ll enjoy doing until I’m eighty, that way I won’t want to retire (since I probably won’t be able to anyway!).
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Yeah, eventually I will check mine, too, Christine, but until then ignorance is bliss. I would say that I’m glad we put a lot of our equity into house instead of mutual funds, except, oops, the housing market is also on the skids. Ugh.
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I love this post. Sorry for ranting in advance… Must be kismet because I was just thinking of similar things but perhaps in a slightly different way. As I avoid television news (mainly because it is so hyped up and intended to cause panic and fear) – I did not know of the financial crashing that was lately occurring until a friend remarked upon it.
It made me wonder really – is there ANYTHING in this life we can control? I suspect not. When it comes to crisis, I am pondering on where the source of crisis truly is found. Is it outside our self or is it really how we perceive things from within? Your quote from JFK above “When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters—one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity..” — this seems to resonate similarly.
While I personally don’t always succeed in finding the hidden opportunities; I do try. The times where “fear” in general seems rampant – I try to first acknowledge what I am feeling, and then eventually work to consciously STOP thinking the fear thoughts – because they are just that: thoughts. I have found that sometimes, what I thought I was afraid wasn’t the real issue at all.
As for the world – I think how events are now playing out is really a big huge cosmic message to humanity. The concept of “absolute power” – the trend of societal commerce over the past century, has become a schism of what I like to call “UN-natural selection” — ie: “survival of the greediest”. It needs to stop. There is no reason for our economy to crash other than: the incessant idolotry of money, prestige, power and control. This can be see on any day at any time in any one of numerous corporations – not to mention our world governments. And we live the results of it now with repercussions into the future. How do we change it? I guess my response comes down to the individual level. I cannot control life, the cosmos, or what world governments are doing— I can control my part in it. For me this means keeping faith in myself and in the human heart (despite appearances), and working through whatever cards I’m dealt – and they have not always been winning hands I might say! Thanks for this post. HUGS –
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Hey I just realized this was a writing exercise. And I think I just completed it on your blog by accident! lol!
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That’s awesome, Sibyllae! (That you did your writing practice in a comment.) And I just read it, and what you write resonates with me. These statements, especially, stand out:
I think how events are now playing out is really a big huge cosmic message to humanity. The concept of “absolute power” – the trend of societal commerce over the past century, has become a schism of what I like to call “UN-natural selection” — ie: “survival of the greediest”. It needs to stop. There is no reason for our economy to crash other than: the incessant idolotry of money, prestige, power and control.
If only this financial crisis hurt the greediest and most powerful the most. Unfortunately, I think the uber-wealthy will not be taken back to zero. They might have to sell off one of their seven homes, but really, it’s the middle class, the folks who thought that equity funds were a smart road to growing savings for retirement, who have been leveled. That’s a lot of pretty average folk, and the closer they are to having or wanting to live off that money, the harder it hurts.
But yes, what are the messages in the crash? It’s a great question to reflect on.
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Sibyllae, great writing practice in your comment. I am sitting here thinking the same thing this morning — how could we have gotten to this point? Power and greed.
I was listening to a financial expert on NPR this morning who was talking about how AIG had many areas of its company that were running well. The insurance business banks on collecting premiums from many people to help out the few who take a hit. But then they got into insuring bonds. And when one bond starts to go under, many more tend to follow suit. When asked why they would take a risk like that, the expert said, “Money, money, money, tons of money to be made.” And according to him, the Bonds insurance business didn’t even exist 12 years ago.
I don’t follow these things generally. But I am intrigued by the Global Economy and how connected everything is these days — all the while running on gobs of credit and debt repayment. You can’t think about it too much or you’d want to run from the room screaming.
Now personal crisis – a whole other ballgame. My first response is to Turtle-up (similar to suiting up with armor). I’ve had to learn new habits. But the Turtle thing is hard to break. 8)
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ybonesy, love the photograph. Did you happen to learn much about the smiling Buddha while you were there? I remember reading about the difference between him and the other Buddhas but haven’t brushed up on it in a while. Something about prosperity and good luck?
I did my Writing Practice this morning for this Topic. Will be posting later. Sometimes it’s surprising what comes out in Writing Practices. How far back in time we reach. What aspects are focused on.
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Ybonesy— Your observation above is exactly the point and the result of the whole world’s love affair with power – megalomanic egoic power. Have you seen Zeitgeist the movie? An older indepenent film – but it’s available to watch in its entirety online. Extremely interesting overall (you need to refresh the page and wait a moment for it to load – it’s 2 hours long) —
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/main.htm
“If only this financial crisis hurt the greediest and most powerful the most. Unfortunately, I think the uber-wealthy will not be taken back to zero. They might have to sell off one of their seven homes, but really, it’s the middle class, the folks who thought that equity funds were a smart road to growing savings for retirement, who have been leveled. That’s a lot of pretty average folk, and the closer they are to having or wanting to live off that money, the harder it hurts.”
You said it right– and that bothers me more than anything else. We have people here with tangible, excruciating losses because of the decisions of a powerful few. John McCain wears “Panders”. Yes, It’s time for change.
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[…] If it’s a family crisis, I go to my parents. I go to my siblings, the place where I feel the most comfortable. The place I grew up. But if the crisis is my very own, I deal with it on my own. It’s just how I am. -related to post WRITING TOPIC – WHERE DO YOU GO IN TIMES OF CRISIS? […]
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No, I haven’t seen that movie, but I will check out the link. Cool that you can see it all online. I remember hearing about it, so it will be good to check out.
QM, here’s a little snippet about the Smiling Buddha, which I got off this website:
The Smiling Buddha, alternately known as the Laughing Buddha, Happy Buddha or Fat Buddha, is the common English description of the Buddhist deity identified as Budai to the Chinese, and Hotei to the Japanese. This deity is in turn a derivation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya.
The Smiling Buddha has been embraced by many Buddhist and Taoist practitioners, and the Buddha statues feature in many homes and places of worship. Believers associate the Smiling Buddha with positive characteristics such as happiness, prosperity, luck, wealth and contentment. As a result, you will find many of these Smiling Buddha statues and sculptures of Maitreya all over the place.
A good symbol to keep in mind during times of financial distress, I would say.
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QM, re: your turtle comment, I tend to go inward, too, when it comes to personal crisis. I can remember times when I was struggling with different aspects of my personal life, and I told no one about any of them. It’s amazing that I didn’t burst. I did write through those crises, though, and maybe that helped me from imploding. I think it is a very Chicano trait, btw, to keep personal strife inside. I’ve laughed over this with a Chicana friend, but going to see a therapist or going onto anti-depressants, or anything like that — it’s not something we do easily.
Sibyllae, how about the personal with you? Do you go inward? Go outward? How do you deal with those crises?
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[…] -related to Topic post: WRITING TOPIC – WHERE DO YOU GO IN TIMES OF CRISIS? […]
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Yeah, the smiling Buddha does seem like a good symbol to have around right now. Tough times for many. Writing does help with getting things out in the open, revealing ourselves to ourselves. Sometimes I’m the most surprised of all by what comes out in a Writing Practice. Thank goodness for a practice like that.
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[…] name) is a friend and fellow creative spirit. She wrote this piece in response to red Ravine post, WRITING TOPIC – WHERE DO YOU GO IN TIMES OF CRISIS? Because of the personal nature of her story, Robin chose to use a […]
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[…] we are — cleaning up the mess. I was reminded of our recent Writing Topic, Where Do You Go In Times Of Crisis?. We are a two-tiered culture, steeped in debt: a wealthy culture that privatizes gains and […]
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