tfpc

"THE FINE PRINT"

The musings of Michael Schrader

             AMERICA: THE LAND OF THE MINDLESS DRONE
(Written and posted 9 September 2001)

       I, like thousands of other Americans, have been closely following the economic downturn with great interest. So far, I consider myself one of the lucky ones, as my portfolio is still giving me a decent return on my investment. I do not want this to sound like bragging, because it isn’t. It is probably more a result of dumb luck and my stubborn independent streak than anything. You see, I opted out of the 401(k) and other “financial management” opportunities. The only investment I made on the advice of a financial “expert” was a loser, and I quickly cut my losses.
       I decided a long time ago, much to the chagrin of my parents, professors, and employers, that I have a brain and therefore I am capable of making my own decisions. In short, you can give me advice, but it does not necessarily mean I will follow it. I make decisions based on what I think is the best for me. If my decision happens to be what someone else advised, let me just say here and now that that advise had nothing at all to do with the decision; just a coincidence and a happenstance. When the 401(k) Plan and mutual fund and financial adviser phenomenon hit in the last decade, I decided, amid much ridicule and scorn, to opt out and make my own portfolio decisions. After all, it is my money, I earned it, I have a brain, and I think I know what it is my own best interest on how to handle my property. I was told time and again that me, a mere ignorant amateur, could not possibly invest as well as the trained professionals. My paltry double digit growth of my investments isn’t too shabby for a mere ignorant amateur.
       Again, I am not trying to brag, just make a point about abandoning our own intellect for dependence on a so-called expert. One alarming trend I have noticed over the past decade has been the ceding of our intellectual independence to others. Yes, it may be easier to depend on someone else to make decisions for us. But, it also makes us fools. An educated and self-reliant populace can never be subjugated. A foolish populace that relies on others to make decisions is easily conquered.
       In my first month of law school, I have received all kinds of “advice” on what books to buy, how to study, ad nauseum. For example, I have been told that a laptop computer is a “must.” Sorry, but I don’t buy it. It may be nice for those who like laptop computers, but I doubt that you will not be able to get through if you do not have one. Think of all of the thousands of attorneys who made it through law school without one. But, because laptops are the “in” thing, and the so-called “experts” have decreed they are a necessity, then they are one. In fact, because laptops have been deemed a “necessity”, it has increased my resolve not to get one, as I relish the challenge of proving the accepted paradigm wrong.
       My advice to all is this: Think for yourselves! Do what you feel is right for you. Thinking for yourself is not easy, though--you will be subjected to scorn and ridicule. There is a reason that my typical stint of employment working for somebody else lasts about six months -- employers do not want employees who view the world with a healthy dose of skepticism and think for themselves. I have gotten crosswise with most every supervisor I have ever had because my problem-solving and management methods, while effective, were not consistent with the “party line.” We all know that it is a black-and-white world -- there is one and only one correct way to solve a problem; there is one and only one correct way to manage. Those who stray from the established orthodoxy are insane heretics and must be punished!
       Like the characters in Pleasantville, we can choose the black-and-white world of predictability and conformity, of paradigms established by others, of mindlessness, of lack of control of destiny, or the Technicolor world of risk, adventure, excitement, the unknown, independence. When given the choice between a safe, comfortable, and predictable world, and an unknown one of fear, risk, and excitement, Truman chose the latter. The benefits of freedom far outweighed the risks of obtaining it.
       But, don’t just take my word for it. Think for yourself!