The universal human motivational factor is self interest. The variation stems from personal priorities. Even the most altruistic among us is motivated by the desire to be judged altruistic.
My own self interest is currently focused on finding a satisfactory personal accommodation with the world around me as I see it evolving in the foreseeable future, which is to say in the vernacular, I aim to roll with the punches coming my way. Having had more than six decades to learn how best to roll, and having reached the stage of life when one finally understands the futility of trying to prevent the punches from coming, the difficult part is anticipating the nature of the punches.
Some form of financial-crisis resolution will be passed by Congress this week. Perhaps a depression-scale disaster will be averted/postponed. Some will be relieved, albeit temporarily. Many will be outraged. Most are, and will continue to be perplexed. Everyone, to vastly varying degrees, will have been part of the problem. Absolutely no one will accept an iota of responsibility.
My own plan is to do nothing different from what I have been doing for the past three decades: try to estimate my personal needs (as distinguished from my desires); try to estimate my anticipated resources; try to find ways to make up the shortfall, if any. If I anticipate a windfall, I will first recompute. Then, if the windfall hasn't vanished, I will, with great trepidation briefly glimpse inside Pandora's Box, whose male pass-phrase is, "Man does not live by bread alone, but also for some toys." There is no corresponding pass-phrase for women, for no one has ever figured out what a woman wants, besides more. But I digress.
Barack Obama will win the general election, and the Democrats will retain majorities in both Houses of Congress, which means that a liberal majority will hold sway in the Supreme Court. In my humble opinion, this will effect a complete takeover of the insane asylum by the inmates, and the electorate will get precisely the government it deserves.
My plan is to hunker down to the lowest personal profile I can assume, given my chronic lower-back pains, and hope that the Nation I love can survive the ensuing changes until the next general election.
My own self interest is currently focused on finding a satisfactory personal accommodation with the world around me as I see it evolving in the foreseeable future, which is to say in the vernacular, I aim to roll with the punches coming my way. Having had more than six decades to learn how best to roll, and having reached the stage of life when one finally understands the futility of trying to prevent the punches from coming, the difficult part is anticipating the nature of the punches.
Some form of financial-crisis resolution will be passed by Congress this week. Perhaps a depression-scale disaster will be averted/postponed. Some will be relieved, albeit temporarily. Many will be outraged. Most are, and will continue to be perplexed. Everyone, to vastly varying degrees, will have been part of the problem. Absolutely no one will accept an iota of responsibility.
My own plan is to do nothing different from what I have been doing for the past three decades: try to estimate my personal needs (as distinguished from my desires); try to estimate my anticipated resources; try to find ways to make up the shortfall, if any. If I anticipate a windfall, I will first recompute. Then, if the windfall hasn't vanished, I will, with great trepidation briefly glimpse inside Pandora's Box, whose male pass-phrase is, "Man does not live by bread alone, but also for some toys." There is no corresponding pass-phrase for women, for no one has ever figured out what a woman wants, besides more. But I digress.
Barack Obama will win the general election, and the Democrats will retain majorities in both Houses of Congress, which means that a liberal majority will hold sway in the Supreme Court. In my humble opinion, this will effect a complete takeover of the insane asylum by the inmates, and the electorate will get precisely the government it deserves.
My plan is to hunker down to the lowest personal profile I can assume, given my chronic lower-back pains, and hope that the Nation I love can survive the ensuing changes until the next general election.
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