MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

. . . . . . there is no edge to openness

TODAY'S MUSINGS

FEEDBACK / COMMENTS

MARK SPEAKS

ARCHIVED COLUMNS

ARCHIVE WINTER 2022-23

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2022

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2022

ARCHIVE SPRING 2022

ARCHIVE WINTER 2021-22

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2021

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2021

ARCHIVE SPRING 2021

ARCHIVE WINTER 2020-21

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2020

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2020

ARCHIVE SPRING 2020

ARCHIVE WINTER 2019-20

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2019

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2019

ARCHIVE SPRING 2019

ARCHIVE WINTER 2018-19

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2018

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2018

ARCHIVE SPRING 2018

ARCHIVE WINTER 2017-18

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2017

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2017

ARCHIVE SPRING 2017

ARCHIVE WINTER 2016/17

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2016

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2016

ARCHIVE SPRING 2016

ARCHIVE WINTER 2015/16

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2015

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2015

ARCHIVE SPRING 2015

ARCHIVE WINTER 2014/15

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2014

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2014

ARCHIVE SPRING 2014

ARCHIVE WINTER 2013/14

CONTACT

MY REAL ESTATE LIFE

WHY I WRITE MUSINGS

SHORT STORY PROJECT

POETRY PROJECT

MARK'S SPEAKING TIPS

SELECTED OTHER WORK


EACH OF US IS THE CEO and CAPTAIN OF OUR SHIP
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
 
Can we cope with changes, can we survive with our person intact, will our country survive and will society look at all like it did before?
 
We all sit at different places along chronological paths – varying degrees to which we’ve already strayed from our course of regular, healthy, typical, planned, or expected lives.
 
What is 2020 and beyond going to become?
 
When will we be done with it, and when will this pandemic be done with us?
 
If you think that’s too much to wrap your head around, relax, you can handle it.
 
Here’s da ’ting, mankind is supposed to be the supreme critter, atop the food chain, atop the brain hierarchy, and for the tough math – we have invented computers that can store, retrieve, rearrange and produce stunning results. But they cannot think, feel, worry, love, etc.
 
This ‘how we are dealing with life right now’ quandary is left up to you.
 
And to me.
 
Which brings me to politics and government.
 
I’m more concerned than ever about how we are governed – more impressed by brilliant career civil servants and less impressed by less-than-brilliant leaders in every jurisdiction.
 
No, I’m not planning a move to Taiwan, New Zealand, or Iceland – but you have to be impressed. Their economies are impacted too, while their undertakers are having a slow-season. Wouldn’t that be a nice problem to have – that mortuaries, gravediggers, etc. would need financial help because their businesses had declined?
 
No leader who knows the way, no magic formula or magic beans – our existence is subject to every bit of bad news you can imagine, and we are living through a journey of historic proportions.
 
Hard choices are made by leaders who are advised – but whatever their advice, we all live with the consequences of their choices, wise or unwise, ill-informed or just plain crazy; we don’t get to choose the ones we buy into, we are part of the collective ‘we.’
 
Closing everything. OK, not everything, but nearly everything.
 
What would I have done?
 
We could argue that we would have acted more decisively, more quickly, and more compassionately.
 
Opening everything. OK, not everything, but soon every category of enterprise – provided they follow the rules, provided they follow instructions, will reopen. What would I have done? I would have taken more time, I would have listened to doctors and scientists more. I think I would have, but these decisions were not in my hands.
 
What should this teach us?
 
What is my point?
 
Businesses that don’t reopen, or ones that do which don’t survive – that will be their reality.
 
Far worse than ever.
 
Possibly worse than the great depression.
 
Industries that make no sense will fail.
 
Projects, properties, ventures, ideas, and products will fail. They always do – and many might have been viable in theory will not work in our new reality.
 
The converse is that new things we’ve never heard of before will flourish.
 
Our mindset as consumers, altered; viewpoint of directors around boardroom tables – gelded too, their duty to resist hasty and stupid, to steer their ship, to guide their company to best advantage for stakeholders and shareholders alike, skewed and uncertain.
 
But each of us is CEO of our life – accountable only to ourselves.
 
We ARE up to the challenge.
 

 
Reader feedback:
Cliché Bashing Time
Agreed, Mark. I was turned down for an mortgage by ATB in late January in spite of 2 years of contract work with the same employer  and a continuing contract at that time which *technically* should have qualified me. I had a cash down payment saved. Think they knew something they were not disclosing at that time? Something smells here...., JB, Edmonton, AB


Find this and other articles by Mark Kolke at Medium



sign up to get Musings free daily



 
Read more of my writing by Mark Kolke at Medium

sign up to get Musings free daily

 


 
Mark Kolke, Realtor, MaxWell South Star Realty


sign up to get Musings CLICK HERE

Comments are always welcome - please contribute to the discussion.  Reply to: kolke@markkolke.com

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. This site is updated daily, each column is retained in the archive when the next day's column is loaded ...  


Copyright - all rights reserved - Mark Kolke, © 2003-2023 - MaxComm Communications

- this site is updated daily, new column on main page, older columns archived - use the tabs; last update - 2023 - January, 28