English majors in college are commonly put through a curriculum that requires reading some of the world’s classic novels and discerning what makes them so. One measure of a great novel is that the reader can see the entirety of the narrative in its first pages. The theme, tone and structure of the early pages of the book foreshadow what is to come. Simply stated, every part of the book leads to the whole and you can absorb this message from every part. Imagine if that were the case right now? We would think in ‘stories’ and write our own.
Congress is unveiling a proposal that would give most Americans a monthly payment of $2,000 until the coronavirus pandemic begins to fade. This is profoundly necessary relief for those of us who cannot safely work due to hazardous health environments or work at all due to small businesses closing their doors permanently. This type of financial assistance serves as a critical bridge to hopefully, better days ahead. These critical measures are essential to our survival, rather than stimulus and are no less, still temporary. This begs the question: where will this bridge lead us to? What brand of products and services does our current economy presently lack? How can we educate and position ourselves as individuals to be where the puck is heading? Taking inventory of current GDP offerings on a micro or local level, how could they be improved upon to enhance their intrinsic value to a larger cause moving forward? This could become an opportunity. How do we locate the intersection of these potentially pending demands and their supply? (Or lack thereof). I am ill equipped to answer the question of whether our current remedy of endlessly printing money is sustainable, but I believe we all inherently know the answer. Moreover, do we really wish to find out empirically? What if we gave all this printed money an actual destination, as means to provide lasting benefits? A bridge to somewhere meaningful? This could be a story worth writing.
Where to from here? It doesn’t appear that we’re capable of answering the question at this time. The specifics and variables are too grey to pin this down. We can only write our own script, for now. What types of dreams or aspirations have we all given up on in the past? If our current options are dwindling, we may be forced to create new ones by pursuing something we actually love to do. If we are to plod a ‘true north’ as a reference point, it will likely come from at least charting a general direction in which to advance. Static movements are always more challenging because they allow us to over-think viable options, virtually guaranteeing our ability to screw it up. Dynamic processes oddly enough, seem to create a higher success rate because we simply react to threats coming right at us. This is the ‘sink or swim’ mentality that ties our magnificent brains behind our backs for just a moment, allowing us to execute instinctive decisions and recognize the signal masked amidst the noise. For instance, where are these words you’re reading coming from? I do not know myself. I’m not thinking about them, I’m simply enjoying the process of writing as a core instinct. The words are writing themselves, and in this process, I just discovered the message to be imparted to you: Follow your instincts and trust your true nature, especially in trying times such as these. The material version of these thoughts, then follow and manifest as a result. The disappointing part of this message is that it neglects to provide you a concrete solution for you to wrap your arms around and guarantee the delicate safeties we all crave. What it does provide is a baseline awareness from which to operate and lead yourself from the heart. What choices or decisions are you currently grappling with? How can you apply this approach to them? Whatever path you choose, you’ll be able to recognize the one closest to your heart. It will likely be the one that involves the greatest challenges and most definitely the highest rewards as you write your own story from start to finish….
-Buddy Kane
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