Once you loosen your control, you see chaos.
Once you see chaos, you tighten your control.
Once you tighten your control, you see dead silence.
Once you are eventually tired of dead silence, you attempt to loosen up again.
.......
Again, then again.
These seemingly inescapable stages of a doomed cycle are often used to paint the dreadful picture of a certain type of governance of an economic system.
To what extent should there exist what kind of control? That's a fundamental question concerning any economic system or a sovereign society.
Philosophically or pragmatically, some prefer individual freedom and personal choice with distributed power and decentralized control, while others prefer a centralized control system with concentrated power that makes choices on behalf of the individuals.
Which is ideal? Choices made by the incompetent many vs. the corrupt few. Neither is ideal perhaps.
People are stupid. They are short-sighted. They are selfish. They are not worthy. Well, at least, individuals, however stupid, ignorant, incompetent, and irresponsible, are minding their own business, making their own choices within their means, without bothering others, hopefully.
However, as the Chinese saying goes, every household cleans up the snow in its front yard. Then you see some folks insist on cleaning other people's snow, even before cleaning their own, or they dedicate themselves to the causes of cleaning other people's snow, without ever cleaning their own snow.
How generous! There are a whole lot more people like this nowadays in many a country, especially in the upper echelon.
If there's no centralized control, how do you guarantee this, protect that, and ensure still that, such and such? Some sages and super heroes among us are bound to have to worry about others. They believe that they are entitled to worry about the whole population as they are indeed the chosen ones.
To paraphrase Ron Reagan: If they see something move, they immediately want to tax it. If they see it stop, they immediately want to subsidize it! For they are the saviors of the masses, the controllers of the cause, the masters of the system, and the progenitors of the future.
They are not happy about chaos and instability. They prefer agendas and movements. Seemingly meaningful and inspiring agendas are constantly coined and plotted to mobilize the masses and are relentlessly pursued through waves and waves of incessant movements.
Such agendas and movements create opportunities and also offer threats, depending on which perspective you take.
When those in power and control see chaos, other people may see thrivingness or prosperity.
When the chaos grows to be intolerable to those who believe in or are already in the position of centralized power and control, the thrivingness of the masses and prosperity of the individuals (skewed toward certain handfuls of individuals perhaps) are to be curbed and contained.
Such a re-centralization process needs new agendas and movements to provide excuses for action, platforms to move around, channels to shift information, venues to redistribute energy, lures to ignite enthusiasm, and ladders for the newly inspired to climb up to the elite status.
If you only see the re-centralization or re-concentration as a threat, perhaps you are already the bygone generation, at least in the mental state sense. If you are at the end of your career and fortune-making journey, simply be grateful that you've witnessed one of the best segments of history as we know. Make peace with yourself and with time.
If your skills are suited only for "thriving" within the context of "chaos", better bring your trade, experience, expertise, and, perhaps your whole belongs somewhere else, places where the so-called chaos is the perennial normal. Chaos is not exactly the keyword for the moment, and maybe quite a while beyond. Alternatively, hope, and wait, until the next stage. Long live your confidence.
If you are "hungry and foolish", as Steve Jobs prescribed, stay so and ask for more. This is your time. This is your country. This is your opportunity. Take charge. Grassroots experience affords you real-world understandings and street smartness, while stints in the centralized apparatus enable you to see how the structure of power actually works and controls the system and the economy. No experience will be wasted if you believe that your choice will eventually make a difference.
There's got to be something that you can do or make do that will thrive for a minute locally. Be happy about that. Live for the moment. Everyday.
Never victimize ourselves.
Lemme finish by offering Professor Fred Luthan's positive psychology. We need to be our own HERO within ourselves: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism.
Smile.
Cheers.
Ciao!
