While the daily financial news couldn't be more dramatic (is someone writing this stuff?), and here in NYC there is a palpable sense of disbelief in the air, I have no doubt that the fall out from this crisis will touch every one of us in some way.
But, unlike many, I think this may be a good thing...
I believe that we're being handed a tremendous opportunity to refocus and rise to a new challenge, for as horrified as folks may be, there is no one in the financial business that I know who is surprised. These problems have been coming down the road for a while now and, if nothing else, it's a clear signal that it's time to change our style.
At AT, we've long believed in the value and gratification of getting your house in order, living with quality (versus quantity) and creating a home that supports you in all of your roles: professional, personal, spiritual. Now, then, is the time to slow down, work off debt, de-clutter, simplify and pare down to those things that are most important.
It's a time to focus on happiness and spend more time at home.
It's a time to buy flowers and to start cooking again.
If you remember, we went through something much more devastating not long ago in 2001, and people's response to that crisis here in the city was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.
This fall we've got a great opportunity for all of you to join us in working together on our homes. Tomorrow we're starting our Fall Home Cure, and you're all invited.
For the next eight weeks we'll all be working on our homes together, tackling small and large jobs that need doing, and celebrating at the end around the Thanksgiving Holiday. All you need to get started is the willingness to work hard, share your story and a copy of our book, Apartment Therapy: the eight-step home cure, which will lead you through the process, week by week. I'll link you to tomorrow's Cure kickoff, and you can find out all about last Spring's Cure here. Join us!
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I am sure that all of the people who have lost their homes and those who will lose there homes and jobs in the next months will find this very comforting.
view Carder's profile
Thanks, Maxwell. I'm looking forward to living simply, and swapping quantity for quality. That's going to be my overall goal for this cure.
view sparkle's profile
no job = no rent = no home
I think your comments are in poor taste at this moment.
view Lesley's profile
I don't think Maxwell meant to offend with his comments, but meant to point out that living simply is often the best plan, no matter what the economic environment. (I speak as someone who lost a job nearly six years ago due to the financial craziness of my state's previous governor, but was able to keep my home because I'd purchased one within my means and didn't have an ARM.)
view madampince's profile
I completely agree that it is good to be reminded to live more simply whatever our circumstances, but I think it's naive to imagine that a "downturn" is an opportunity to learn how.
I lived as a teenager through the high inflation of the 1970s and I still remember the amount of time and anxiety my parents (who were fortunate to have jobs and a house paid for) spent scrimping and saving to afford food and fuel (when it was available). I do not see any lessons in living through such times again. Imagine how the people who survived the last Depression or life in Europe & Asia during WWII must feel, especially as some of them are the ones whose savings are being wiped out now in the stock market. And if these times do come again, "buying flowers" will be the last thing on the list.
view Charlotte's profile
maxwell, i know you meant nothing but the best by this. living simply is always good, but taking a glass half full view is kind of making light of something that is hurting so many people.
some have lost their job. some can't afford to have health insurance. some are wondering how to feed their kids & pay for the gas to get to work!
my situation is not as horrible as many of the people around me, but i did just leave my downtown, big city, victorian apt to move all the way back to the country simply b/c of the rent!
& yeah, buying flowers won't be on my list of needs either. maybe this cure you should come up w/ something to replace the flowers. anyone have ideas? maybe instead of a pot of flowers, you could enjoy a pot of tea! :) or we could all force some bulbs!
view mariegael's profile
maybe it is potted plants instead, something that is longer-lasting and still brings life and color to your home.
view universal mod's profile
I disagree that the financial crisis is going to be a good thing for everyone. The poorest will likely be the hardest hit, while the richest may just have to cut back on vacations to Europe.
But I do think that good things will come out of it. The sad fact is that the lifestyle in this country has become unsustainable. We consume the vast majority of the world's resources in a variety of products from Ikea semi-disposable furniture to grain-fed beef. Even the poorest among us don't suffer from starvation the way most of the world's poor do. They still benefit from the cheap labor from other country's sweatshops. And we think we have something to complain about.
We take and we give very little back. What have American businesses coughed up in the last ten years... Viagara? Cell phones combined with digital cameras? Yes, there is real technology and innovation, but much of the money spent in this country is on advertising - insubstantial things like air time. The bubble had to burst.
So now, we're going to have to reprioritize. With the cost of oil going up, we're going to have to find new ways to conserve energy and to make it. We're going to have to actually innovate. I hope we'll also think more about corporate structure. The corporation is not a democracy. I think it would be for the better if people had more of a stake in their companies and perhaps the power to fire bad management. Yes, it reeks of socialism, but then again, so does this bailout.
So yes, I expect we're going to clean house.
Incidentally I think potted plants are a great idea. sometimes they even bloom.
view whytephoenix's profile