Dark Age Redux; Rant-O-Rama

Sometimes, when I look around me, I realize the West isn't descending into a dark age. It is in one. The utter lack of intellectual curiosity frightens me. If the first Dark Age was, in part, characterized as one in which the West lost connection to its ancient heritage only to rediscover it in the Renaissance (Irish monks and Arab scholars in Spain notwithstanding), well, then I think we can make a similar connection in our era. The last great intellectual heritage for us was the Enlightenment (17th and 18th philosophers in particular) and parts of the early 20th century. Can we say, with a straight face, we truly remember the words of Voltaire, Vico, Galliani, Ricardo, Hume, Rousseau, Smith, Locke, Diderot, Kant, Hegel, Leibniz, Beccaria, Hobbes, Spinoza, Condorcet, Jefferson, Madison, Montesquieu, Gibbon, Newton, Schopenhauer, Wittgenstein, Jung, Herder, Popper, Skinner etc.?

Not bloody likely.

Technologically, no doubt, we're the bomb. But everything else?

***

A doctor friend of mine was telling me how Quebec is going to change how it trains and educates doctors by accentuating less on science and more on other aspects (arts, philosophy etc.) that make an individual of social importance well-rounded.

I agree. Doctors are key components of a community. They need to be elevated on another level.

The same should happen in business administration. I took a few business courses in university - mostly because I had no clue what I wanted to do - and the one thing I noticed was the vast majoriy of people in there had no business - excuse the pun - being there in the first place. They were fixated on just "getting" a degree and nothing else.

Back then, it was the "thing to do" to apply for B-Comm. Everyone and their mothers were applying and gaining entry into the programs. All I saw were a bunch of dolts who when matters of discussion shifted away from the fucking accounting material would stare blankly into an abyss of nothingness.

We should always, always encourage people to look beyond what they're studying as a discipline. They shouldn't be saying things like, "I don't care who invented double-entry book keeping" in an accounting class. In fact, they should be taught in a totally separate class accounting history and philosophy. Maybe even an art class!

I'm beginning to ramble but I think you get the point.

***

But rants are good for the soul!

I had an interesting conversation with my cousin - eight years my junior - the other day. We think alike on many matters. It mostly centered around how we're the type of characters and personalities who have to own our own businesses unless we work for someone they really trusted and respected and who understood our value (I say this knowing full well we could over value ourselves). I always knew this was the route to take but never could find out in what domain or industry and the same goes for him. I finally found something I was willing to explore whereas he's still searching.

It's easy for me to wonder why it took me so long but we concluded it had to be this way given the nature of our intellectual and spiritual outlook. I realize that I could have "owned" a business when I was 25 but felt like I was not ready or too immature. Compared to what I know now and what I'm aware of, I was totally deficient as an individual to run a business. I've seen many kids open up businesses - and some do really well - but lack any sense of anything outside what they're doing. I didn't want to be that way. I wanted to first acquire experience and knowledge.

Other reasons and factors came into play of course but that was one of them. Ultimately, I'll know how to be on the look out for someone who shares the same outlook as I do. That will be the challenge and joy moving forward. To give a chance to someone who can't be easily defined but you know has a special kick in them.

***

The main difference between myself and my cousin - and likely most people - is my total lack of fear when it comes to risk. I'm spontaneous. The only way for me to learn is to experience with hands on knowledge. One can read and read but until they do "it" it all resides in the head and may resign you to a couch wondering what could have been. For example, this day care I'm opening. Most people would have found ways to discourage themselves from doing it. Things like "the taxes are too high" or "the government is in the way" or "what if it doesn't work out or last" or "what if it's not for me?" and "what do I know about kids?"

To me, those are all excuses to not get off your ass. Personally, I'm one of those people who doesn't think you really know something until you try it. I recognize there are risks with this adventure but for all I know it may very well be the "dream" job I wanted. Or at least can accord me the chance to do what I really want to do - I want to dance!

Seriously.

Where someone will study something to the point of obsession - analysis by paralysis - I know when to say "enough is enough let's do this thing." I'm not one for things like business plans. I always felt those things were a nuisance. Speak to people, study, research and then dive in. I don't need to know where I'll be in five years because god dammit, no one KNOWS for sure. I'm not suggesting there's no value in one, for most I reckon it is useful; especially if you need a loan. All I'm saying for me...it's pointless. Call me a business free-spirit.

I'm one of those guys who'd probably hire an uncoventional person for a conventional job. I totally get guys who are known to "think outside the box" and themselves for that matter.

Last word, about over analyzing something. I know people who before they buy anything they perform an exhaustive research for the best available price even if it's for $1 off a $1000 item. They'll visit a dozen dealerships to create leverage in the art of negotiations.

In the bank we called them "rate shoppers" and while I agree with them - up to a point - they were royal pains in the asses. At some junction, they jump a point where they were on a right path to one where they outsmart themselves. Sometimes, you leave a buck on the table for, say, better service or some other incentive or perceived value.

I don't care for people who always say, "why did you go there I coulda gotten you a better deal here." I do my own little research and have suffice confidence in myself to determine if I should buy something. To me, there's such a thing of not wasting too much time on something. I mean, some of the guys I know will spend hours trying to find where the best deals for a screw driver is. Fuck that.

It's the chase for them I guess. I suppose they get off on it but they're more often than not fooling themselves. One day, they'll slip up on one item that will have made all their hard work "saving" money for naught.

But that's just me.

My former partner at an investment firm was a little like that. He would stare at technical charts, talk to analysts in Toronto and examine figures for bank stocks until he was blue green in the face. He was throrough and it's something I learned to admire and incorporate into my behaviour but, like I said, I have a "enough of this shit" bulb in my brain. It's all a crap shoot anyway.

I'll never forget the morning where he kept me in his office for 45 minutes trying to decide if we should buy TD or Royal Bank shares. It's a little like choosing between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Roy Hallayday and Tim Lincecum. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. That sort of thing. You can't really go wrong in the long run. So why beat yourself incessantly to the point of wasting time and patience? Because in the end you never know. You jsut never effen know.

We may feel like studying something to death may eradicate some of the unknowable risks but in the end it probably doesn't because a CEO can sneeze from his ass and a stock can either tumble or rise depending how investors take it. If they were in a chill out mood, the stock would rise. "Hey, he sneezed from his ass! He's the Chosen One!" Or if they're in a skeptical mood it would drop. "Man, dude just sneezed from his ass. He probably has a disease that will infect the board and then everyone will die."

Where was I?

Oh yeah, so I was cutting a banana...