For someone my age, dealing with change (the nonmonetary kind) is difficult. For example, I can remember when McDonald's first came on to the national scene. Before then, if you wanted to eat breakfast out, you would get up early and look for a diner where the telephone pole repair trucks were parked. After you ordered, you leisurely waited for your food to come on a real plate with silverware accompanied by pure Grade "A" butter and maple syrup in a bottle. Now, I stand on line and instantaneously get "hot cakes" in a Styrofoam container. To tell you the truth, I can't really tell the difference between the container and the hot cakes.
I look for those old diners, but they are few and far between, so I have adjusted and have gotten used to this new way of life. And that's basically how we deal with change--even chaos. We adjust.
Some said Enron, the then largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, was an anomaly. WorldCom quickly proved them wrong. And accountants, formerly the butt of green eyeshade jokes are now the subject of on how the paper shredder is their technological tool of choice
Nothing surprises me anymore. I didn't even blink when reading about the gentleman in Virginia who upon seeing a helicopter trying to land by a neighbor's house, whipped out his rifle and started firing, thinking it was terrorist attack. It also didn't bother me that my 401(k) is probably more like a 301(k) now as its value dropped by about 25%.
I thought I was getting good at adjusting to change and chaos. But I can still learn to be better. Yes, as Congress were finalizing the provisions of the public oversight and corporate fraud legislation, it was reported that SEC Chair Harvey Pitt asked Congress to raise his salary and make his position a cabinet post--all without prior consultation with the White House. Forget about any possible merits to the idea, what was his thinking? Is he that stupid? Or maybe, more likely, he understands and deals with change and chaos much better then I do, and is able to adjust that much faster. What do you think?
