Today’s headline about China’s population drop comes as no surprise to me. 15 years of the one child family, urbanization, and rising standards of living all pointed to a negative population growth. Add onto this the expected impact of Covid and deaths to come.
No economy can grow without population growth.
Ray Dalio, the billionaire, the ex chief of the hedge fund Blackstone is a very smart man, but he did not predict how China’s potential will end in a decline and is unlikely to become the world’s largest economy And surpass the U.S.
Simple economics BTW. How did Ray, a very smart man, get it so wrong?
So I think about my persona, my retirement, my career, and why perhaps I have my attitude that is a rather unique culture. My reflections reveal my cowboy like independence is due to a work ethic that was a privileged experience that included large monumental projects and unlimited budgets that exploited taxpayers monies.
Do you know anyone who worked on a Superconductor Supercollider that had a circumference of 2.7 miles that is visible from space with the naked eye? This was a Brookhaven National Labs. The collider had the world’s largest Helium compressor in the world and used so much energy that it could only be turned on in the winter because otherwise it would drain the grid.
Do you know anyone who was building a spaced based Star Wars weapon to shoot down Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles at Los Alamos National Labs?
Then I worked at Grumman when it was the fourth largest military contractor in the U.S. and then later Northrop Grumman.
I mentioned to “Maggie” how I can envision how our house will eventually be, but she said for her it is overwhelming. Then I think of how I tore open parts of the house, and all the projects I have open and ongoing.
Perhaps the only person who understands is Devil Christian who appreciated how essentially built a high rise and went “VERTICAL” in the one bedroom in our 650 square foot luxury apartment in Madhattan that was basically my printing studio combined with all the clothes, shoes and bags of a fashion blogger.
So pretty much I create “hot messes” but I’m cool with that. Oh-well, that’s always been my life, but I also see how the stuff I do can upset people like perhaps my neighbors and especially Maggie.
My back-backyard is a construction zone, but I just say, “It is a work in progress.” LOL.
So I finally realize that I have a messy life, and that this might annoy people. Also I have the imagination and the stubbornness to actually manifest my vision, meanwhile I annoy people. LOL.
Welcome to my universe, a world of chaos.
Cal