Reflexions

By Robert Ross

2012
A Most Interesting Year

2012 is setting-up to be a . . . ah . . . let’s see, how can I state this reasonably . . . a most interesting year. Pick your subject: personal goals and dreams, economics, geopolitics, the nation, the Arab spring, or even the “occupy” phenomena, events seem to be converging on 2012. Translation: it’s going to be one heck of a year.

So let’s take a look-see:

Personal Reflexions
2012

At this point in time, my life feels a bit like a race to the finish line. The years seem to pass at an accelerated pace. So, 2012 will come and go faster than 2011, which came and went faster than 2010. It was just a few years ago that we were all in a tizzy over the new millennium, and here we are, in a blink of an eye, from a new millennium to 2012.

In the early 1970’s I was doing my duty as a young idealist, working to improve lives of migrant farm workers in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. One day, I attended a community meeting of migrants, a fight broke out, the meeting ended.  I ended up in a bar, having a beer with some friends and one of the community organizers. We were all a bit shaken up over the fight, to say the least.

As fate would have it, the organizer (who had this knack of peering into people’s souls) looked in my direction, sensing I was off guard due to the fight, and asked quizzically “what do you want out of life? I hesitated for a moment, still riled, then managed to come up with an answer that would quickly get the attention off of me. I can’t remember what I said, but as a young man in my twenties, I really didn’t have a clue what I wanted out of life.  

The question has stayed with me to this day. What do I want out of life? The answer that keeps coming up is: I want my life to be an adventure, in whatever form that takes. So, 2012 will, hopefully, be an adventure, with countries to see, slopes to ski on,  oceans to swim in (usually La Jolla Cove), and challenges to be met. As in years past, these adventures will keep me looking forward, and take me out of my comfort zone.

National Reflexions
2012

Presidential elections will be held in 2012. With trillions of dollars of new debt created in the last three years, high unemployment (“U6” figures, which include discouraged workers, is lingering at around 16%), riots by the “occupy” crowd, a dysfunctional Congress, the housing market an absolute mess, and Europe in a fiscal turmoil, chances are, we’re going to see “change” again in the oval office in 2012.

Whatever the outcome of the elections though, expect “austerity” to be the new buzz word for many years to come. And I suspect, as a nation, there will be a move toward isolationism — too many wars will do that.  Not only are we war weary, but we just don’t have the money to be Santa Claus to the world anymore.

Geopolitical Reflexions
2012

2011 saw dramatic shifts in power in the Middle East. Countries that were under strong dictatorships for generations — and strong religious dictates for more than a thousand years — have been set adrift. The west is expecting these nations, in a matter of months, to set up political institutions that resemble western models. This may (or may not) happen over time, but in the near term, uncertainty and political volatility will trump stability. One might want to avoid travel to the “Arab spring” countries during 2012.

“Occupy” Reflexions
2012

If they made a tent with a shower, fireplace and room for a flat screen T.V., I just might join the occupy movement. My issue would be the banks and the “too big to fail” institutions. In the last couple of years, due to reckless behavior on their part, financial institutions, insurance companies, car companies, etc., were bailed out to the tune of trillions of dollars.

The banks in particular, were quite pleased, giving the top execs millions of dollars in bonuses at the end of the year. Unfortunately, this was all paid for by the taxpayer, who is suffering from high unemployment, a stagnate economy and a lousy housing market.  Somethin’ ain’t right here!

I’m not sure where the occupy movement is going in the coming months, nor what they are trying to accomplish (neither do the occupiers), however, I suspect the cold damp weather of the winter months will quell their enthusiasm, at least until spring. Come spring, I wouldn’t be surprised to see their numbers increase substantially.

Europe Reflexions
2012

The party in Europe, and reckless spending by some EU countries, has come to an end.  The more responsible countries have been mandated to bail out the less responsible countries.  This sounds like the U.S., where responsible tax payers bailed out irresponsible financial institutions. 2012 will be a continuation of a major move toward fiscal discipline in Europe. This financial belt tightening will last for years.

And then there’s Greece. If Greece is going to drop out of the EU, disrupting an economic system that is struggling to stay afloat, it’ll happen in 2012, with potentially drastic consequences. Stay tuned!

As you can see, 2012 is going to be a most interesting year. When you add all the issues that are in play, from “occupy” to the Arab spring, and mix in the unknown event or events — the rogue wave, it’s fair to say that we will not be wanting for stories on the nightly news.  

In the meantime, I’ll be making my plans for my own little adventures . . . perhaps shopping around for a luxury tent, and keeping my fingers crossed that these issues, nationally and internationally, work themselves out in an orderly manner in the coming year.

To the Awareness reader . . . Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Robert Ross can be reached by e-mail at:  SanDiegoRoss@Yahoo.com  

Copyright  2012 by Robert Ross, all rights reserved