Wednesday, April 1, 2009

My Point of View: Canadian slump like a bad tooth ache, only worse Part 2

Are you in a cheery mood? This may or may not help.

In many countries the slumping economy will feel like a bad toothache, only worse, because it affects our wallets and not our choppers.


["Increase your enjoyment of local surroundings by 3 per cent": photo GAH]

And because of so much global inter-connectedness (among other things) a relatively small shrinkage in the world economy has caused great calamity and endless headlines and reports in many countries.

One might ask, “Relatively small?”

According to economists, “The world economy will contract by more than 2 per cent this year - unprecedented in the modern era - while the U.S. will shrink 3.7 per cent and Canada by 2.5 per cent.”

I recommend two things instead of individually or collectively trying to spend our way toward a short-term recovery:

Together, let’s increase our enjoyment of local surroundings by 3 per cent this year.

i.e. go for a walk, take a photo, paint a picture, sit on the ground with a thermos of coffee, sniff the breeze...

The practice we get by enjoying our surroundings more this year will come in handy when an even greater toothache arrives.

And, together, let’s complete 4 per cent more preparations for more economic shrinkage in the future. Peak oil may arrive shortly (the time when cheap, easy to access reserves are gone) if it hasn’t done so already, unbeknownst to us.

Aren’t I in a cheery mood today?

***

Do you have a favourite place to sit with a thermos of coffee?

.

No comments: