Those who will succeed in 2009 are, naturally, those who know how to make the most of the opportunities that arise. And as in any crisis and times of change, the opportunities are and will be substantial, but difficult to spot. Only a privileged few, those who know how to discern where did the value go, finding it and making the most of it will be possible. The future belongs to them. And for the rest of us mere mortals, this crisis will have wiped out—and will continue to wipe out—the efforts of many years, even of generations: Cash invested in the markets, business losses, a sharp fall in the value of their properties, etc. All of this forms part of a grim calculation that we can all make if we really want to take the red pill that makes us see the reality of the current and future development of our heritage. However, many, on the contrary, will prefer to take the blue pill y look to the future with confidence immediately right at the heart of the global financial matrix.
I wish you all happiness for 2009, but most of you shouldn’t look for it in career or financial advancement, because both will come at a high price this year and probably for years to come. It would be better for many of you to shift your mindset away from consumerism towards a more spiritual outlook; otherwise, the fall will be too harsh. The hard times our grandparents knew are already here and are set to stay for a few years. Either we adapt by working hard, lowering our expectations and finding happiness and value in new places and ways, or we’ll have a very hard time of it. Even if we rediscover courage or seize opportunities, it will be a good exercise to view the world and the modern economy in a different light. After all, we create it ourselves, day by day.
Happy 2009, but prosperity is a given for most people for a few years. We’re squandering our future over the past few years, and we’ve written off loss-making investments in securities and property, impulse buys and luxuries that should have taken years (or a lifetime) to pay for, and corporate debts that rely on that frenzied cash flow to prop up their credit pyramids. Unfortunately, we cannot return to the future from which we draw the wealth we have lost today, but we will have to cross the desert of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012… who knows. And just as in life itself, we must enjoy the journey, even if it is through a desert.
My very best and most sincere wishes to those on the blue pill who cling to the illusion of an imminent prosperous oasis. To those on the red pill, I also offer my solidarity and admiration; see you in the desert – I’m getting by.