Dear Reader
If the old rules of the Farmer’s Almanac are true then March
will go out like a lamb, since the month roared in with winter.
Are you surprised that I am starting with such a platitude? You
should not be, because everywhere we go, you and I, there is
only talk of two things: The weather and the economy, and we are
down on both those subjects. There are also only two different
points of view: It will either get better or it will get worse.
That might be, but I refuse to get stuck in the negative side of
things, yet do realize the need to consult reality, without
being ruled by it in a way that excludes positive thinking and
proactive involvement.
 In regards to the weather we can only say that it will do
whatever it will do without our immediate influence being able
to change anything drastically that can be seen right away.
Changing the weather will have to be a long haul project,
starting of course right now by preserving our energies and by
polluting this planet less. Results will only been seen much
later.
What I cannot believe is that there are nay sayers in regards to
the global warming facts. Comments like: "Have you seen the
temperatures lately, even in places that did not have winter in
ages?" is only showing that someone does not understand that
even that, the extreme weather conditions, are a sign of global
warming.
By not polluting the planet with things we really do not need in
the first place, or the leftovers thereof, we also help
ourselves to a better economy in the long run; that is if we
stop buying things we cannot afford.
That brings us to the way the world does business, an economy
which is not longer based on real need (demand) and real supply,
but purely on speculation and manipulation. While stock markets
keep losing, we ask what…inflated expectations, none existing
commodities and so on, numbers on a ticker tape have the power
to throw people into despair and poverty.
All this makes for opportunities of different kinds. People are
looking back to older systems of exchange, namely that of barter
and immediately someone asks: Is that legal? No doubt the
government will miss the revenue in taxes and thus the wrangling
starts.
If people would barter and not consult an accountant at every
turn, remember those consulting guys that contributed to the
downfall of the financial system, the whole economy might be in
better health. I believe on the whole people have good
instincts, but when they ask the so called experts they are
often led astray by vested interests. Common sense is often
smarter. But it is also human nature to spend more than one has
and wanting more than one can afford. So there are lessons to be
learned and disciplines to be exercised if we want to get
through this better than can be expected if we do not change our
ways.
The older generations who have been through lean times will
adapt much easier, however, the have– and must-have-generations
might not do as well and should listen to their elders carefully
for lessons learned a long time ago, when the going was tough
and the tough kept going. Whining did not get them anywhere, but
tightening the belt and rolling up their sleeves certainly did.
Playing closer to home does not hurt, and that means producing
and consuming local products. Doing that has nothing to do with
protectionism.
Last, but not least I wanted to remark on the fact that there is
a new atmosphere among people, a more tolerant one, also in our
country. More of us look into each other’s eyes and smile
openly, not in a guarded way. Is it Obamaism or has it sunk in
that in hard times we need each other more than ever before, and
does that bring out the best in people?
I hope the luck of the Irish will drop a charm on us all and we
will weather the weather and the economy just fine.
Happy St, Patrick’s Day!
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
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