About Me

Twenty years ago I asked a Tarot card reader what would I be doing when I was 50. She replied, “I see you doing something so wildly creative, it defies a job title.” Only recently did I realize that was a slick way of saying, “I have no idea of what you’ll be doing.” But that prediction kept me charging ahead to the fifties with zeal and anticipation. Now that the future is today, I’m ready for anything!

Titanic and the Economy:
We Sink or Swim Together

I was watching Titanic this weekend, the James Cameron pic about the doomed luxury liner, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. I was struck by how the 1912 class passenger system on Titanic mirrored the class economic system today. By the time the first-class passengers realized that the ship was taking on water, the second- and third-class passengers (also known as steerage) had already perished. And by the time the luxury class was aware of the problem, the problem was too far gone to solve.
We sink or swim together. What affects the lowest class eventually affects the highest class. And the problem, whether it's a sinking ocean liner or a postponed solution to a state budget, will be that much greater to solve.
On a related topic, numerous blogs have quoted Minnesota State Representative Mary Kiffmeyer, who believes the reason for Governor Mark Dayton's push for revenue is because "they want to go after those who've actually worked hard." Apparently, Rep. Kiffmeyer believes the wealthy swim -- and the sinking steerage classes have no bearing on them.

I believe individuals "swim together" every time I walk the wooded trails of the 80-acre vacation property across the road. The cabin there is watched by my husband Mike and me to make sure nothing suspicious or malicious takes place. Mike clears out deadwood to remove fire hazards and removes trees that have fallen during a destructive storm. In return, the owners welcome us to pick berries, gather firewood, and enjoy the scenery. Stepping from a five-acre sliver of farm into an eighty-acre wooded expanse results in my best thinking.

Our two families, mine and my neighbor's, share different economic strata but we bring value to each other. Just like upper-class Rose was saved by steerage-class Jack Dawson -- I know, it's a wildly fictional account from an overwrought date movie -- but the message is worth keeping in mind. We sink or swim together. Even if we're traveling on different levels.



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3 comments:

  1. This is very true and a great analogy. We are all on this planet and due to all the technical inventions over the years, we are all impacting each other. The oil spill, the volcano erupting in Iceland are a few examples of how we are not remote anymore.

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  2. This was a great post and sooo true. I agree with Nancy but as only half of a discussion. The other half? The more ways we find to connect, communicate, socialize or network, the more remote we become. If the story of Jack & Rose took place today..Rose might likely have gone with "her people" while Jack either stayed behind or floated away on a piece of wood while she texted away for help...and she would still have felt like they were swimming together.

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  3. Nancy, thank you for the compliment. (And I left a comment on your lovely blog.) You're right, we all impact each other, even if we don't know it: like the butterfly wings flapping on one side of the world and creating major change on the other side of the globe.

    Boschii, Your texting analogy and idea of remoteness made me think of college students in the 1970s: they'd put their stereo speakers in their open dorm windows and share their music with the world. Today, we're all walking around in our own private MP3 worlds. Love the energy of your blog, BTW.

    To both: thank you so much for following!

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