At The Moulin Rouge
Pity that new college grad or that twenty-something. Not only are they up to their ears in college loan debt, but now it looks like they'll be funding their parent's failing Social Security System and private pension plans as well. United Airlines may be the first shoe to drop, but there are plenty of others dangling out there as well. And when they start falling, well, private industry may be asked to foot the bill but at some point I get the feeling the heaviest burden is going to fall on you and me.
Then there's this other news item I read today. According to CNET, declining research spending is leading to drop off in Information Technology innovation in the U.S., at a time when research spending by Asian nations such as China and India is rapidly increasing. In fact, at a recent Collegiate Programming competition the U.S. finished in 17th place, its worst showing ever, while Asian nations held four of the top 12 spots. It just seems like in the U.S. the old institutions are beginning to fall down, and they're building the new ones overseas.
So it's the end of the world, right? Maybe not, but we do seem to be approaching an edge. Just what edge that is I don't know. The edge of a precipice perhaps, or maybe just the end of our post-war expansion. Whatever it is I think anyone under the age of thirty had better keep their eyes and ears open and be ready for it, and by "it" I mean the end of the pretty lie. You know like the old Joni Mitchell song - "when you gonna realize they're only pretty lies". I tell ya' we're starting to run 0ut of them, and I'll give you some examples.
Let's see, how about the lie that we can continue to live beyond our means forever, even as we see the explosive growth of debt counselors and payday loan companies. Or how about the lie that if we work hard enough for long enough then one day we'll be able to stop working and retire, even as it's becoming more and more apparent that many of us will have to continue to work into our old age just to afford the prescription drugs. And of course there's the lie that we can fail to provide our children a world-class education and still be the world leader in innovation and technology, even as we watch China and India take the first tentative steps towards economic dominance in 21st century technologies.
Yeah, the pretty lies aren't going to keep working forever, folks. They're already beginning to show their age. The crows feet are forming around the eyes, the thickness settling in around the waist, and the bosoms beginning to sag. Youthful illusion is gone and reality seems to be sinking in.
Anyways, that's the feeling I had today, and there I was sitting at this meeting thinking over the news of the day and feeling surrounded by all this posturing and pretense and puffery and wondering if there was a single real person left in the world anymore- and it was like I was transported back to La Belle Epoque or something. You know the part where it's all coming to an end and all the beautiful people are sitting around cafes not noticing that the world was about to change forever. It was that kind of scene, and I realized ol' Joni got it right - it is all just pretty lies. That's all we're living on anymore.
Oh well, I'm sure the sun will still rise in the morning, and when we look in the mirror we'll still be as beautiful as ever. But we're walking towards an edge. I can just feel it.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
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