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Monday, November 03, 2008

Fishing in troubled waters

Realty is ultimately unforgiving to people who hold false views of reality. It’s easy to forget this in a time and place that has a certain margin of error. As a result, many people are natural gamblers. They take risks.

Usually they don’t pay dearly the first or second or third time. Yet the odds being random, it’s quite possible to lose everything on the first foolhardy bet, as some individuals discover when it’s to late to learn from their imprudence.

And, of course, if you tempt fate often enough, your lucky streak will run out sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time. If you disdain reality, reality will eventually return the favor.

Nations have a bit more padding. Even if individuals fall by the wayside, the corporate entity survives. It can absorb a certain number of losses. But over time, a series of mistaken policies will have a cumulative effect. A lack of foresight catches up with nations as well as individuals. And it may result in irreversible decline.

I doubt the day of reckoning will come in my own lifetime. For me, the days ahead are fewer than the days behind. But I fear for posterity.

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