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GRADE MY HOMEWORK! Does Hate = Ignorance?

For the last several weeks I have been a student in an online creative writing class. This was a very creative and wonderful birthday gift from Everett, and I have had a lot of fun BS'ing my way through. That was basically how I made it through undergrad and grad school.


Recently, one of our homework assignments was to list five things I hate. They could be as little as a hangnail or as large as a world leader. I was then supposed to pick my most eccentric choice to be sure no one else in the class would pick the same thing, and write a short piece presenting my "hate." I thought I would share my short story with you and let YOU GRADE IT! Here you go:


One of my mantras is "not to hate." But from time-to-time, irritants arise that conjure up feelings of despise. Despise is a strong word I know, but I think you would feel the same way if something has a negative affect on life in general. That is really what it is all about anyway, being happy and making the world a great place. So if you do not like something, avoid it? That is easier said than done.


Things that can make me crazy include Sunday drivers in the passing lane; parents who ignore their screaming children in public; drunk guys who urinate on my lawn; and people who abuse animals. These things do not have an affect on me solely, but on everyone. They create bad energy.


Although I try not to be a contributor to bad energy, and believing that hating something creates bad energy, I unfortunately absolutely hate it when people throw lit cigarette butts out of their car windows.It is as if the earth is their trashcan, and will automatically dispose of their fiery stub they no longer need.


I have seen the result of lit cigarette butts being thrown out of a car window, like car fires and hundreds of burned acres. Did these litterbugs ever stop to think of the consequences? There are animals, people, homes, crops and property all at risk all the time from natural disasters, while now also at risk from a human addiction.


Maybe my ignorance about addiction is what makes me hate the pitching of lit butts from a car equipped with an ashtray. It is usually ignorance that creates hate. Could it be the addiction or the excuse of addiction to nicotine I should hate? Either way, instead of hating, I use the opportunity to point out to those that do not want to litter their own environment on wheels, but the environment of all natural things, they are littering by snapping a picture. They hate that!

Is Fiduciary a Bad Word?

My definition of "Fiduciary" never reached beyond that of responsibility as a member of a board of directors of a small non-profit organization.  This included my duty to act in a respectable manner and refrain from asking for reimbursement on alcohol I drank while traveling for the association.  As an investor, I never considered that the board of directors of a fund management company would lose my money.  In fact, I always chucked the election by proxy forms I received from fund companies that held my humble savings.  Since the major financial fallout, I have been rethinking, like everyone, about who holds my money.

The Macbook Dictionary opens my eyes to a more succinct definition of fiduciary as much more than just a trustee, but someone who holds your money.  A fiduciary has a duty (called "fiduciary duty", and I am not talking about bio-poo), to invest or hold that money as directed and in the interest of the investor.   This is big, like Enron big.   

Great examples include recent, although, not the most recent of giants to fall, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.  In fact, they are such a hot target, legal websites have already popped up to lure potential victims for a class action suit against Lehman.   Victims are people who trusted Lehman with their 401k and pension plans, and who can prove that Lehman violated its fiduciary duty.   Proving this will be a no brainer as Lehman's (fiduciary) CEO is already appearing in front of congress having explain what he did with every one's money.  Basically, the claim is that Lehman shucked its responsibility by putting Lehman's interests (big pay checks) ahead of their investors' interests (our life savings).  

The sad part is, as this modest blog moves forward, so does the next CEO brainiac with a new innovative way of investing for higher returns, higher commissions and faster growth, all with someone else's money, and unregulated.  We are definitely not experiencing the first breach of our wallets, and it will not be the last.  Maybe each family unit should build their own compound with their own governments, schools and banks.  Oh wait, I think the pilgrims already tried this.

Unfortunately, no one has come up with a new hair-brained resolution to solve the worlds problems.  And although the Lehman Brothers debacle seems small compared the giant roller coaster free fall the stock market just took us on, I truly believe that we will be okay.  Even better, while we are all starving because we cannot afford groceries, we will solve the latest plague recognized by the government as obesity!  

As a side note, sorry for the late blog.  Next week, I blog about Family Guy???  Check out my favorite blogs and click on Zen to find some peace for your life.