Reflection on today's crash

As I'm sure you heard today in the news, the U.S. House of Representative rejected a $700 billion bank bail-out plan. The Dow Jones lost 777.68 points at least partially in response to this vote. Now, I don't really understand fully how we got to this position or what the solution is going to be. (I'm not sure anyone does. Hence, the situation that we are in today.) However, as I was driving to and from class, something about this news really struck me. I guess that it has to do with interconnectedness. None of us lives in a bubble. The decisions other people make affect us. Likewise, the decisions that we make affect other people. The events leading up to today's vote did not happen in a day. The credit crunch and other economic problems developed over months, probably years. Think about all the people who must have made many decisions during that time frame. Guess what, in the end, we are all going to be in this boat together. What about the decisions that I make every day? (What about the decisions that you make every day?) Getting up. Going to work. Blogging. Going to the weight room. Brushing teeth. Buying groceries. Making a phone call. Taking a dump in the bathroom at work. Buying pop tarts from the vending machine. Reducing the size of a wire. The list is endless. These decisions are not made in isolation. Whether I see it or not, other people are or will be affected - positively or negatively. (Yes, even choosing to brush my teeth.) Some of these decisions even enter a second-round of impact. What is the compound effect of all these decisions (and ensuing cascades of repercussions) over a day... a year... a life-time?

Out.