The Value of a Plane Ticket

I will quickly offer a brief explanation --  and if I may be so presumptuous (and I have my doubts), an apology – for not writing in many months. I have been busy soaking up new experiences, but a more accurate excuse lies in the lack of deadlines, external or internal. If only the muse move, my writing doth not improve.

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In slightly less than a month, I will be headed off to India. I will be meeting my friend (Clive) in New Delhi and we will subsequently be traveling with the vaguest of plans for an entire month. The goal at this point is to see as much as possible in that time,  journeying far and wide, in all directions, instead of plumbing all the tourist secrets in a small region.

More content will be posted during the trip and after the trip, but what I wish to discuss now is the justification of such a pricey venture. This trip is expensive. The plane ticket is the largest cost, even with a bit knocked off via credit card points. But this cost is rivaled by the lost opportunity of making tens upon tens of dollars over 30 days of unpaid vacation. Follow this up with a few hundred for an Indian visa, travel insurance, doctor’s appointments and prescription malaria pills, hostels, food, domestic transportation, and a few gifts. 

What could possibly justify these expenses? I submit it’s not the direct tangible costs of plane fuel, constricted leg room, and less-than-gourmet food options. Nor do I suspect the value lies in the high-probability of food poisoning, theft, or insect bites. What then?

Well, memories are certainly key. Stories are invaluable, especially if they involve coincidentally meeting someone you know in another country, or if the experience was especially brutal. (“So there was this one time I suffered greatly in China… Not that that's historically unique...") A good story can illustrate a point, divert from small talk, and lure people into viewing your photos (just to insure you weren't lying).

Ah yes. No trip would be the same without said photo album. I admit it would be devastating to lose trip photos, such expressive, detailed reminders and visual communicators. I would pay a good deal to recover my images, each one carrying part of a story slowly fading from my mind.

At my age, other travel benefits include living on bare minimums, in countries with favorable exchange rates. Hostel life, street food, experiencing striking independence, and self-direction in another nation. In later years, I may resort to resorting, maybe, but only if I pursue 'educationally productive' trips now.

Better Photographed Than Eaten

And don't forget to count the calories. In a country with exotic food, every meal is an adventure. When there's a translator present, it's nice to know what it being consumed. But other times, it's better photographed and skipped altogether. One may also return home with new culinary abilities, such as pompously deeming foreign food inauthentic and commenting loudly that it was much better while traveling. Highly valuable.

I am also interested in establishing other countries as ‘real’. It’s quite a different thing to look at a map, watch a documentary, or hear stories, than to experience touching moments. Talking to and connecting with locals enunciates the difference in world views and reveals cultural viewpoints. For example, seeing firsthand how close the Lebanese-Israeli border is -- where rockets were launched in 2006 -- sheds light on the reality of Israeli survival. International politics become real.

I find that stepping away from home also lends the mind to new thoughts, plans, and goals. Retreating and pondering what is truly important and worth living for. Leaving the roat and routine, taking walks under the stars, across the world from those important players in my life. Rethinking theology and philosophy with an attempt to fit the novel into my established mental framework; sometimes, the framework needs to be altered. It’s a moving aspect I now pursue once a year.

And then there is the return. Gratitude to God for returning to loved ones and for the good life we live in America. Back to a home that feels slightly foreign at first. Memories and stories pour out to others over the following months, dwindling little by little with passing weeks. The influence of the trip fades away, leaving only a potent lesson or two, always fresh in mind.

Recalling past trips, I now publicly admit addiction to this yearly venture. There is so much of the world to see, so many places to enrich life and befriend beyonderful fellow humans.

In the end, the plain costs are much less than the invaluable nature of travel.

Be Good,

Enjoy Life,

Yaffe

Beyonderful: Beyond wonderful.

The Other Side Of The Counter

In the last few weeks, I have secured a job at a coffee distribution location. 

This column’s picture reminds me of the company of which I am currently employed, but is not the same one. (In fact, I’m sure ‘Vienna Coffee’ violates US trademark laws, but it is conveniently displayed in China.) From the limited legal research I’ve done in the company policy guidebook, I am allowed to discuss my job, minus any trade secrets. And given that I only have positive sentiments and experiences to share, I would be mortified if there were ill consequences.

Photo Credit: Noah Yaffe

But why not engage in a bit of Roman à clef – the practice of erecting a fictional façade over a real event by changing names and some details.

I have been employed with SuperNovaMaleDeer for about a week now. I was lucky to secure the last employment spot at this store, one of the most enjoyable locations to work, by all accounts. Friendly, fun, and competent manager, supervisors, and co-workers. Beautiful location, pleasant customers, and wonderful indoor ambiance. I applied to 5 different locations, and this is the only one that was hiring at the time. I even know two of the new hires, and the third is a quality human being as well.

I lucked out.

If you encountered my first column, written shortly after college graduation and before employment, I desired work at a coffee shop in order to make a product myself, sell it, interact with customers, engage in teamwork, work regular hours, along with other benefits. My experience is so far living up to my lofty expectations.

After choosing to work here, ignoring the prospect of a more lucrative job in sales, I was enthusiastically embraced by the manager, and invited with the other new hires to the sales meeting and potluck. My first interaction with co-workers was tasting coffee and food samples, attentively listening to jargon I did not understand (still may not…), and hanging out for a few hours talking. I found social connections within the group -- from high school, violin, and karate – and hit it off by delivering homemade crème puffs. The voluminous food vessels were indeed lucky to encapsulate my crème puffs, if I do say so myself.

With this social introduction, my first day at work was quite comfortable. I only slept for two hours the evening before, due to subconscious excitement I believe, but I was determined to do my best regardless of sleep. (It’s even on my resume – “Have remained civil for many a week while tending to unruly band students.”)

I worked two days out of training books along with some routine cleaning, and watched co-workers skillfully do their jobs, biding my time to get into the action. It wasn’t a long bide, but it feels like I’ve worked there for weeks already.

Well, today was that day of action. And mostly it was trial by fire -- or hot steam. I’ve heard it both ways.

After a touch of book work, I made my first latte and cappuccino using store machines, a device far superior to the 20+ year old deal I’ve used in the past. I haven’t made any drinks for customers yet, mind you. Probably tomorrow. But rather intriguing anyway.

This practice run was all well and good, but I was soon thrown onto the register. I’ve never been in front of a cash register in my life. I’m not proud waiting so long, especially given the relative difficulty of managing the menu; I believe there are literally millions of drink combinations available. But I’m glad I didn’t skip this experience and find some obscure economic desk job.

(Note: I’m so very grateful that the register told how much change to return. I can ace multivariable calculus tests, but addition and subtraction has been some ten years out of frequent practice.)

Yes. I reached my goal of finally colliding with the consistent working population. And I absolutely love it. I want to do the work. (Heck, I’d do homework free of charge if they let me. Until recently, I paid to do homework.) I know it will become increasingly difficult, but I welcome the challenge.

I am already finding myself a touch more friendly and outgoing with strangers, ready to say hello to anyone that walks in the door. I am already learning mechanical labor skills that could transfer to other restaurants or business positions. I am already realizing the massive amount of small tasks and systemic procedures necessary to keep a successful business afloat. I am already seeing the desirable qualities in co-workers.

It’s a good job. And I’m going to enjoy it to the fullest. It feels good to be employed and see the world from the other side of the counter.

Be Good,
Enjoy Life,
Yaffe

The Present Value Of Your Future

The Following Is A Full Feature Piece, Just Be Warned:

Flames lick the sides of overturned cars. The smell of burning rubber and tear gas penetrates the dense, grey air. High school and college students with makeshift weapons scream at the top of their lungs, law enforcement barely keeping the riot contained. Chaos reigns.

The government obviously earned this, though. They increased the age of retirement by two years, the most heinous of all crimes. And now the young citizens of France demand retribution.

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In late October of 2010, the Sarkozy government instituted a reform to increase the age of retirement in France by two years, from 60 to 62 years of age. Though some 70% of the French population are said to be weary of the reforms, according to a French research poll, the role of youth is particularly surprising. This segment of the population is 40-45 years away from retirement, many of them still minors, yet they are disturbed by what is happening to retirement.

In the U.S., we haven’t seen this kind of outrage or violence, and we should denounce such actions as irresponsible and dangerous to civil discourse. But we can learn something from the passion of France’s youth. Our youth need to become aware of their uncertain future, and, more importantly, aware of what they can do about it. With simple financial planning in high school or college, this country’s retirement problems can be solved within a generation.

Benefits on a Precipice

Retirement has never been so uncertain in the history of the United States. In the early days of the Republic, people worked their entire lives, had grown children to support them, or let disease and early demise free them of choice altogether.  Intent on providing support for widows and other low-income individuals, the FDR administration altered this in the 20^th century, sweeping in a retirement safety net with the Social Security Act of 1935. Congress eventually expanded coverage to include all citizens. Social security has some complex specifics that were included to keep the system running smoothly, providing the necessary funds. For example, the age one can start receiving full retirement benefits depends on the year of birth. And before reaching full retirement age, one can collect partial payments based on their income, lower income individuals receiving more.

Unfortunately, the system escaped its initial constraints. The age of first benefit reception wasn’t indexed with life expectancy, and people continued living longer. Many wealthy individuals, who either continue to earn high incomes or just draw from saving accounts, still collect benefits. And the aging ‘baby boomer’ population is exacerbating the situation.

Social Security, as it stands today, has evolved into a Ponzi-esque structure, where current tax payers are supplying the funds for current retirees. If the rate of population growth was increasing or even stable this would hardly be a problem, because there would be more tax payers than recipients. However, this is not the case. We are instead witnessing the flipside of Zero-Population Growth, the policy of reducing the birth rate in order to increase GDP per capita and raise the quality of life. Without enough young taxpayers the system will collapse.

As journalist Mitchell Zuckoff writes in “Ponzi's Scheme”, Charles Ponzi didn’t intend harm or malice, and he even tried to mitigate damages instead of taking his earnings and fleeing. Ponzi got in over his head. The U.S. government may now be in a similar position. While Social Security likely won’t fail altogether, reduction of benefits or increase of the retirement age will be required to keep it afloat.

With all the trouble the politicians are in, they are not the sole players in this losing game. Small-Businesses and Large-Corporations alike play a significant role. Pensions are now just a memory, few companies offering fixed income payments at retirement. Fewer firms are independently investing in employee 401K’s and many are not even matching savings by employees.

These changes make a certain amount of economic sense given that younger workers have a much larger tendency to switch jobs than their older counterparts. Companies are not willing to guarantee benefits to employees who leave after four months of labor. The situation is far from ideal, but there seems to be no good incentive for companies to institute some novel approach to retirement.

Thus as it stands, there is no institution solution in sight, from government and corporation.

Taking Matters Into Our Own
 Non-Violent Hands

As a recent college graduate, I am particularly interested in what I can do to take away the uncertainty of retirement. What actions can someone my age due to prepare in the face of fraying safety nets?

Quite a lot.

            After scrounging around and researching different procedures, I have determined a decent path that is both flexible and plausible. In fact, I am in the process of starting an account for myself in order to experience and address any concerns readers may have.

A sustainable plan revolves around the familiar concept of compounding interest rates. Compounding truly works magic when leveraged with time. And while students and recent graduates may not have extensive funds, they certainly have time.

For an example of compounding, money invested in a savings account will accumulate interest, and then this new amount in the account (principle plus interest) will accumulate more interest. This interest on interest is the compounding effect, which has a big impact on how fast money grows.

The effect of dividends works in much the same way, as long as dividends are reinvested back into the stock market. Mutual funds, for example, will payout dividends quarterly from the stocks it holds. Dividends can then be automatically reinvested, buying more shares of the fund. More shares mean more dividends as each share is entitled to a certain percentage of dividends.

An important tool and concept, but how does one utilize this information? Save some money, move it into some type of personal IRA retirement account, and make sure the IRA is invested in a vehicle with decent returns. It’s simpler than it sounds.

Saving Our Retirement

            At $10 an hour working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, you would take home $17,000 every year ($20,000 gross, 15% Federal bracket). This isn’t much, but if one is young living expenses are likely low. If at age 16 they put aside $1000 a year in a market mutual fund earning an average return of 10%, they would have about $1.8 million dollars in a retirement account at age 70.

            Assuming an inflation rate of 3%, the real value of this money is around $500,000. This certainly isn’t as impressive, but the interest alone on this money is $25,000 a year in 2010 dollars (assuming a bond paying 5% annually).

            What about a high school student or college student? Would they realistically be able to scrounge up the necessary funds? Given that most high school students are supported by their parents, they have little to no expenses of their own. If they were to garner a part-time or summer job, they could easily earn a $1000 to put away every year. In a society that apparently values consumerism, it may be difficult to convince a young person to put that much away per year, but it is within reach financially. It’s the equivalent of a $4 cup of coffee, 5 days a week.

            As for a college student dealing with tuition, living expenses, and student loans, it is not as feasible for them to save. This is alright as the education is a human capital investment in itself, resulting in a higher income and a greater ability to save after four or more years. College is a good investment.

Take, for example, one 18 year old that immediately joins the workforce after high school and a peer that goes to college for 4 years. If we assume the worker saves $1000 for the rest of his life, he will have $1.5 million at age 70.

In contrast, the student goes to college for 4 years, gets a job paying twice as much, pays off some loans, and now has the ability to save more. If the student saves nothing for the first 6 years but puts away $2000 a year thereafter, she will have $1.7 million at age 70.

This method is a powerful and simple path to stable retirement, regardless of what happens with government or business options. But even if you were to make this commitment, where do you put the money and how do you set up the account?

IRA’s and Mutual Funds

            An IRA, Individual Retirement Account, is a fund with special tax properties, as defined by the Federal government. Instead of investing directly into stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or even precious metals, it is beneficial to encapsulate the funds in an IRA to save on taxes.

There are two versions of IRA’s, Traditional and Roth, with some similar properties. Neither of them allow withdrawals before the age of 59 ½ without a 10% penalty. The maximum contribution per year for IRA’s, Roth and Traditional combined, is $5000. Only earned income can be added to the account, and thus gifts, lottery winnings, and investment interest cannot be used. Money can be withdrawn before the age of 59 ½ if it is for higher education expenses, or if used by a first-time homeowner as a down payment on a house ($10,000 maximum). One key difference separates Roth and Traditional IRA’s though.

For a Roth, taxes are paid up front and never again. (You would have to pay these taxes anyway if you spent the money, so saving it instead is no penalty.) Once in the Roth, interest, dividends, and capital gains are not taxable. This is a huge advantage as all the money remains in the account to collect interest, as we will soon observe. At retirement, the money is withdrawn without taxes.

For a Traditional, there are no taxes upfront at all. Like the Roth, the money accrues tax free, the huge advantage. At withdrawal however, dues have to be paid, taxed at your tax bracket in retirement.

Generally for a young investor, a Roth IRA is the superior vehicle because tax rates are lower as a student than they will be at retirement. A middle-age couple at the height of their earning potential would instead find helpful the tax-deferral of a Traditional IRA as they expect to have a lower bracket as they enter retirement.

Let us again examine the 18 year old worker that invests $1000 yearly. If it were in a regular fund, taxes would be paid yearly on the earnings, and there would be less money to compound. The effects are significant. At age 70, he will have $1.2 million in a regular taxable account, but if he had invested in a Traditional IRA he would have $1.4 million. A Roth IRA would yield $1.5 million, all else held constant.

How does one open a Roth IRA though? Almost all financial institutions have these accounts, from credit unions to online brokerage firms. I recommend the mutual fund company Vanguard because of low yearly expenses, lack of transaction fees, and load-free funds. An account can be opened with as little as $1000 in their STAR mutual fund, or $3000 in most other funds. More can be added on a monthly or yearly basis from your local bank without charge. (Just ask them to use the Automated Clearing House system instead of a wire transfer.) Vanguard’s website is simple to navigate and the process to open a Roth account is straightforward, with quality customer service.

As far as the taxes go, when filing your Federal tax form in April, just report how much you added to your IRA’s for the previous year.

Once the money is in the account, it can be moved around penalty-free due to the tax-free nature of IRA’s. Normally, each sale of a mutual fund would result in taxable capital gains, but not under IRA provisions. After $3000 is accumulated, one can invest in a total market mutual fund, owning a piece of every stock in the U.S.

Over the course of its history, the US stock market has averaged 10% a year, the figure used in previous examples. This average even includes the Great Depression and all other recessions. If one were to retire during the Great Depression, however, they would be out of luck, whereas if they waited till after WWII, they would have again been in decent shape. The lesson here is that youth can invest in riskier accounts because they have time for a recession to turn around. As they get older though, they should start holding more bonds than stocks to decrease the variance and risk. As we are talking about a young person here, it makes sense to start with the large majority in stocks.

As the years go on, one can continue adding a consistent amount of money to the IRA, in good and bad times, to hopefully earn the historical average of 10%. Make sure capital gains and dividends are being reinvested into your fund.
Now wait for retirement.

Best Case Scenario

What if the government gets their act together and social security is fine? What if businesses have a change of heart and start supplying generous pensions? Well, Social Security certainly doesn’t cover the full cost of retirement, nor usually do pensions. Savings are still essential to the equation: The more saved, the more luxury you can afford and the earlier you can retire.

In the interim, you have not only purchased a comfortable future but also the peace of mind that your future is secure. And as mentioned before, $10,000 can be used for the purchase of a house without penalty, and more can be withdrawn with a penalty in an emergency.

So save the money you were going to spend on arson, and open a retirement account.

Be Good,

Enjoy Life,

Yaffe

The Idea of Writing (and Employment Brief)

I routinely jump out of bed and run to my desk after ten minutes of attempted unconsciousness. It could be two in the morning and I’ll still make the effort. If I do not, I may lie there an hour more.

Excitement about tomorrow’s events, a quiet environment for thoughts to float around, unlimited time to develop and brainstorm. Imagining, visualizing, planning. It doesn’t matter if the plans are realistic or not. Sometimes the most intriguing ideas are the ones that seem stupidest upon waking.
What matters is that the ideas will badger me, lead me further and further from my pursuit of unconsciousness.

How could they not? My own ideas of how my life could actually be? They are far better than the most wonderful sleeping dream, for they provide a realistic illusion that doesn’t disappear with an alarm.

So I write. I can deal with the issue later. Write more about it another day. Turn it into a column.
And in doing so, the idea becomes more solid. If I don’t write an important idea down, I likely won’t remember it. And if I don’t write more about it, explain it in logical form with clear structure so that it makes sense to others, the idea will become lost in practice.

What is the practical message here? Write ideas down all the time. And then clear them up and make them presentable to others through solid logic. If you do this, your dreams won’t get shot down before the dreams have time to develop. Hasn’t this happened to you? A perceivably great idea shot down in flames (ain’t it a shame?) because you proposed it -- with all accompanying flaws -- before developing it?
Hurts, doesn’t it.

You think up a charity organization that would distribute portable huts to the homeless, structures easily erected and taken down. So you tell your friend.
And then you listen: “Wait… where are you going to get the funding? You want these people to get used to being homeless? You want to fill the streets and fields with ragged tents? Don’t you need some non-profit license for that? What about shelters that already exist? How is your idea different? Who is going to make the huts?
Why do you and your ill-conceived ideas hate the poor?”

Writing is a fundamental tool, if only seen by your own eyes, to clarify and structure ideas so that they have a fundamental foundation. Isn’t that the purpose of a college essay, business plan, or resume? To explain a hypothesis, to show potential investors your idea’s reliability, to reflect on who you are professionally.
Otherwise, you could tweet your professor your thesis and obtain your grade.

How do you show others all the ideas you have? Explain in clear prose. That’s one reason I am writing this column.

All parts of life become easier to talk about and clearer to think about.

Be Good,
Enjoy Life,
Yaffe

EMPLOYMENT UPDATE BRIEF:

Apparently, online applications take just as long or longer than the in-person screenings I had at the coffee shop. I received two calls today from different companies. I am excited to know that I am not completely forgotten! 

I feel I deserved it from my job-search project I undertook today, though today's searching and today's calls are completely unrelated. 

I went out and drove to local wineries, inquiring about open jobs. Beautiful landscape out there, rolling hills. Private enterprises, some family owned and operated, with jobs ranging from agriculture, to food service, to tasting room monitoring, to management and paperwork.

I worked up the courage, disregarded the 'Open For Business' times, and asked about job openings (or 'employment opportunities' at the highest class establishment). At a few places, I couldn't find anyone. At another I was kindly directed to their website, an employee saying that she had indeed obtained employment in this manner. A sociable office manager of another said there might be some part-time work coming up (and also noted that her son is at UC Davis now, my recent 'alma mater'), and an owner at another location suggested I call one of his managers about a recent opening. So, there is much potential in this arena should other paths fall short. Life is good.

Turning Towards Corporations

A few weeks ago, I discussed (is it a ‘discussion’ if I am the only one typing?) the potential for obtaining a job at a small mom-and-pop coffee shop. I want to work in a small business and see how it runs, from top to bottom, a much clearer view when the business structure is short in stature. Unfortunately, I was turned down for employment, due to an old employee coming back to fill the space. I completely understand this move as the company doesn’t have to spend time training, nor do they have to take a risk with a potentially unreliable new employee. They save time and reduce risk. An intelligent business move, but I am still unemployed.

I learned a rather important lesson though: Hedge Your Bets.
I could have applied to other companies at the time too, but I was a bit too certain that there would be an open position. Instead of waiting around for two and a half weeks, I could have been applying other places and conducting interviews. I figured that I would waste the time of other companies if I put in an application, that they would conduct an unnecessary interview. A noble enough thought, but apparently not too realistic.

With little in the way of other mom-pop alternatives, I turn to corporate America. It isn’t the small-business case study I hoped for, but it has other benefits.
For starters, corporate jobs are easily transferable from one place to another. If I decided to live in another part of the country for a time, it would a matter of transferring to another branch or franchise instead of finding another small-time job.

Also, once in the retail or fast-food industry, I figure that most companies are interchangeable. If you can sell a product you know little about for one company, you can learn about a new product you know nothing about for another company. If you work up to manager in a chain, you have manager experience for any other venture. Even when obtaining a master’s of business degree (MBA), it is rarely in a particular field, but rather broad principles that will add value any company.

With specialization in a certain type of job, managers, sales, cashiers, cooks, and retailers are more interchangeable. Human interchangeable parts. Knowledge of how a company actually functions remains with only a few people. Companies are less transparent to themselves, their workers, and their investors. The owners or CEO may not even know how a company quite functions. I recall some recent reality show where a CEO worked the job of an entry employee and wasn’t able to do it at all correctly. Put the CEO in the office of another company and he would fair alright.

I’m not sure if this is good or bad.
It implies that there is much horizontal mobility and opportunity to move anywhere in the country or world. Each worker too may be better at their niche, which increases the productivity of the company as a whole. People can focus on working in what they are interested, or at least where they have expertise.

But it comes at the cost of small business knowledge and vertical mobility in a company. People may be less and less interested opening their own business if they only know how to run a small portion of a venture. And workers may never find the job for which they are best suited or which they will most enjoy.

At this point in my life, I see what career(s) I end up selecting as quite important. I will be doing it 5-6 days a week for most of my life. If a job is just a means to fund the rest of existence then it doesn’t matter much. But laboring 8+ hours a day is working for more than a third of your life. That’s a rather large chunk of life not to enjoy. However, I suppose if you can find happiness and fun for whatever job you have, life will be good regardless.

Be Good,

Enjoy Life,

Yaffe

Deserting Good and Evil

You’re on a desert island. Both sky and water envelop you in a calming blue existence, dotted with lush palm-tree-green palm trees and coconut-brown coconuts. Food is abundant, as a container containing a lifetime supply of manna washed ashore the other day. There is even a waterfall that flows with milk. (Coconuts are so abundant on this upper part of the island that they fall, crack open, and pour their contents so often as to establish a permanent river. I hope you weren’t thinking cow milk, as that would be absurd.)

There is only one catch. You are completely and totally alone. No other human is on the island, and no one will ever find it. No adorable monkeys dot the treetops, nor is there a single living being on the ocean oasis. Nothing attempts to kill or maim you and there is nothing to kill or maim, save plants. A deserted desert island.

As a result, there is plenty of time to think. So you think: “Is there good and evil on this island? Does good and evil exist without any others in life?”

It is a question I’ve pondered over the last few weeks, off and on. It is also a question based in theology and differences in religious or philosophical literature. I am approaching it from a Jewish perspective (one of many, as two Jews in a room have 5 opinions). But whatever perspective, the question cuts straight to the meaning of good and evil.
I am currently of the opinion that there is no good or evil without interaction with other humans or animals.

Without humans or animals, you cannot murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, covet your neighbor’s property or spouse (no neighbors…) or dishonor your father and mother. If we could say the same for our own society, or any other, we would say that this is a mighty good society. I’d live there.
However, there is no choice in the matter, so this ‘perfect society’ on the island isn’t a result of goodness but rather of lack of choice.

Alone, you can still worship other gods, make graven images, take God’s name in vain, forget the Sabbath day, and commit suicide.
I argue though that while these are sins (in Judaism “missing the mark” as opposed to definite bad), they are not evil. At the very least, these actions are not in the same category as murder or theft. But they are unholy.

Holiness in Judaism concerns uplifting ourselves from an animal state to a divine state. To use an example from the Jewish writer Dennis Prager, while it is not evil to eat like a pig and scarf down our food --lapping it up from the plate with our tongues-- it is an animal act, not human. Yes, we are animal in body, but our behavior should strive for the divine. It is our behavioral choices that separate us from our animal roots.

Worshipping other gods, graven images, and taking God’s name in vain are primarily unholy acts, not evil ones. They do not harm others in general, and certainly do not on this island. If one doesn’t follow these laws, they may be more likely to dance around with a spear and become Lord of the Fire (… no Flies present…) but there is no harm done. It is unholy, it is pagan, but not evil.

What of suicide? I contend that the primary reason suicide is banned is because of the harm it does to surrounding people. Suicide takes away a mother, a sister, a friend, a neighbor, a daughter, a wife. It leaves a hole in the community. It may be understandable under some circumstances, but it is selfish none the less. Thus, if alone for life on an island, there is no community to harm. (In real life, one could not guarantee they would never be found, and as such I never condone suicide.)

I know other religions would disagree on other grounds (i.e. without gradation of sin, the unholy sin is equivalent to the sin harming others).

But from my perspective, good and evil is solely about how we treat others. 

Now, back to eating coconuts.

Be Good,
Enjoy Life,
Yaffe


Hear it too!
http://www.zoopy.com/audio/5qfd/deserting-good-and-evil

The Last Wish For Youth

I watched "The Last Emperor" in the past week, a quality film depicting the life Pu Yi, the final emperor of China. It served as a crucial tool in my own education, reinforcing what I learned in my Chinese Revolutionary History class. I also found it helpful that I had thoroughly explored one of the major set pieces, namely the Forbidden City (pictured right), the film being the first to record within the Beijing walls.

Photo Credit: Noah Yaffe

I don't think it spoils the movie to say that he is brought up as an emperor and eventually dies a peasant; it's historical fact. Then again, a Chinese citizen may not know whether Jefferson and Adams ended their lives with comradery or enmity for one another. (Do you know? It's quite the tale.)

It seems to me that this story would be a horrible ordeal to live. Rags to riches may have its tragic problems if you are sucked into a materialistic lifestyle or if you lack gratitude for those that helped you along the way. But riches to rags? It can take a toll on a mind raised on praise and fulfillment of whims.

This leads to two points.

One, we all have this challenge to some extent in the process of maturation, the growing pains of independence. 

And two, fame or finance early in life is more likely a curse than a blessing, whether the good fortune lingers or disappears.

In growing up, we leave the familiar ways of home and go off into the world. (Or, in the case of college attendance, we incubate for a while in another home.) Starting life out with the royal treatment of diaper changes and pre-chewed food (too lazy to process it ourselves), many in my generation continued on to have  disappointments and failures mitigated by parents, and responsibilities and obligations withheld. With the high standard of living in the US, it was at least a luxurious upbringing compared to the rest of the world, or our country 100 years ago. 

Regardless, at some point my generation will have to confront the reality of working and budgeting, if it hasn't happened already. I am one of the those who will soon be meeting basic independence, not yet having secured a job nor having left my parent's house. I hope to greet it with at least plastered-on smile, if initially lacking genuine goodwill.  (For the record, I only graduated a month ago and I may have a job in the next week.) 

This transition from college may be rough on a lot of college kids. I overheard a (loud) conversation between some local business owners today. They talked about their freshly graduated employees, how they are unreliable and hold wholly unrealistic salary expectations. These particular trade schools have an incentive to advertise large graduation salaries to lure in students but don't impart a well-rounded approach to business or even acceptable competence in their specific trade. 

But what these new employees lack in skill and tenacity, they reportedly make up in self-esteem. I am curious how long self-esteem will hold up against unemployment and/or student debt. (Maybe businesses will start giving out 'participation trophies' just for interviewing.) We will all adjust, but many of us have more growing up to do.We are finally learning that college isn't reality and the 'real world' doesn't often yield to our college dreams.

But this, I believe, is a blessing in disguise.

One only has to look at the world of celebrities to find profound tragedy of premature fortune. From the emperors of ancient Rome to the respective Kings of pop and rock and roll. While this certainly isn't the fate of the average college graduate, it serves as an example of empty fame and the difficulty one has living up to expectations set by one's past-self.

If our college education doesn't prepare us, we will have to start working minimum wage, a guarantee that pre-mature fame and finance will not find us, and subsequently will not wreak havoc on our psyche in later years. If we start at minimum wage, the only place to go is up!

What if you achieved fame and fortune at age twenty, lost it all by age twenty-five, and remained in financial uncertainty and social obscurity for the rest of your life? That's the last wish I have for our youth. Isn't it far better to grow up poor and obscure, build up a stable life, and then have your hard work transformed into notable success? 

At least if we enter the world unprepared by college, we will start at the bottom of the ladder. The only downside is that our labors will be a source of consternation for our employers and our egos for many years.

I, for one, would rather build slowly on achievement. I could probably find a good paying job with an economics degree, but I would rather master minimum wage work and grow from there. I will forever have the knowledge that if worst comes to worst, I can survive on minimum wage. If, in the future, I have a career that crashes and burns, I'll always have the security that I can work and be happy on the lowest salary possible. So with any luck, I'll remain obscure and poor for now.  (Then again... I hope people read this blog. Oh the conflict!) If I chance upon early success, I'll just be grateful for having my expectations exceeded.

In the end, the last emperor may have been one of the luckiest of his kin. He didn't have the curse of absolute power or palace isolation. He found independence, as difficult as it was.

Then again, he certainly lived in interesting times, the greatest curse of all.

Be Good,
Enjoy Life,
Yaffe

Future Blogs:

The expectation of business owners that youthful employees are technologically skilled.

College dreams vs. Life action

The Rest Of My Life

Christmas wrapped up after all the unwrapping, a New Gregorian Year began, and a college diploma in hand. Now what? Everything I've put off for four years!

College was a great opportunity to suppress ideas, creativity, and self for the pursuit of grades. But now college is over, at least the first round. (A cynical take, but I'll address it more fairly in the future.)

The lack of structured education has one major benefit and one major disadvantage for learning.
School has finally stopped interfering with my education (I apologize to Twain that I let it), and I have the time to pursue educational interests. In the three weeks since college, I've read a handful of fiction works, studied some differential equations to find out what it is, extended my study of Developmental Economics, listened to Torah commentaries, surfed Wikipedia, and organized a large pile of less-than-200-page books to read in the coming months. I want to 'have read' a good portion of the books piled on dressers, shelves, my desk, and under the bed in my room.
I now have the time, due to the lack of homework.

However, this leads to the major disadvantage. Without homework, I don't feel the strong desire to "burn my homework and go read". I'll discuss this more in the future when addressing my theory of Positive Productive Procrastination. (... Or PPP. There are two PPP theories I came across while studying Economics. I thought I needed one for myself.)
Suffice it to say that procrastinating isn't as fulfilling when there is nothing structured to procrastinate. Maybe the solution is to create my own rigid structure and avoid it by reading. Or I could have a friend ask a favor that I'll regrettably turn down because I have Dostoevsky to read.

In conjunction with self-education, I would like employment. I hope to first work at a coffee shop. Why?
I think it puts together the best of all worlds on the smallest scale. Working with people, manual labor, potential management responsibility, dish washing, possible experimentation, and creation of the product that one sells.
A waiter fundamentally moves the product from the kitchen to the table. A coffee shop employee requires skill in making a quality, consistent product. It also takes far less time to become employed making coffee than it does becoming an experienced waiter. ("Applicants require 2+ years Fine Dining Waiter Experience...")

Also, a coffee shop is a small scale operation that I can study. A business case study.
Output is customer service, atmosphere, varieties of coffee, tea, drinks, baked goods, sandwiches, and caffeine.
Input is rent, employees, managers to schedule employees (and whatever else), coffee and tea orders, facility upkeep, espresso machine depreciation, advertisement, and innovation.

I would like to see if my vision is accurate. And I would like to study it with the help of yet another book I found "How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espesso, & Tea Shop". Looks useful and well written, attending to all the various facets of the business.

Working at a coffee shop includes one more invaluable advantage. I will be able to make coffee for loved ones, saving them (and me), thousands of dollars over the coming years of The Rest Of My Life.


Be Good,
Enjoy Life,
Yaffe




Brainstorming Future Blog Topics:
PPP (Positive Productive Procrastination)
Reduced Social Activity Without College
Merits of Community College
Merits of University
Post-Graduation Job Market
Youth and Healthcare
Youth and Retirement
Living on Minimum Wage