Aurora Borealis (a personal tale)
For several days during the past
week, stargazers have been obsessing over a spectacular natural phenomenon, the
Aurora Borealis, an evening lightshow of pinks and purples and greens caused by
coronal explosions of plasma and other materials which intersect with the
Earth’s magnetic field. Now, I’m no
astrophysicist so this tome will not be about the laws of light forces,
geometry, and particle sciences.
But I do want to convey to my
audience a sense of wonderment and profound impact that these events inspire
and how they directly relate to my profession and persona…..
I’ve shared in earlier missives the
galactic event that most changed my life and my perspective about the world in
which we live. In 1968, Christmas-time,
three astronauts aboard the Apollo 8 space mission sent back to Earth the first
photos taken by a human being of an “Earth rise” above the lunar
landscape. I’m sure you’ve seen the
photo. This majestic image captured the
enormity…and the sheer isolation…of our planet from deep space hundreds of
thousands of miles away.
The reasons that this image affected
me so deeply are profound. I was a
teenager at that time transitioning from high school to college. Under “normal” conditions that is a difficult
time for young adults trying to find their way in the world…and what a world it
was. The US was at war in Vietnam; there
had been a summer of domestic unrest and protest; and we were shocked by two
political assassinations that cratered
our hopefulness about the future. It
seemed as if the world and our future was shrinking right before our eyes.
And then this image…..taken from a
tiny space capsule with three brave souls aboard who showed us how small and
insignificant our planet really was in the vast cosmos of time and space. I was moved to tears at the time, and still
get emotional, and inspired, when looking at that photo.
From the vastness of space we could
finally see how the oceans connect the continents; how territorial lines of
demarcation are irrelevant to the planet’s ecosystem; how conflict, war, and peace
are really parts of the same continuum. I
came to understand that without understanding the totality of the globe none of it makes any
difference. We all ride the same planet
together. Science connects us to the
arts. Commerce is intricately woven into
the human spirit. Medicine is sports and
recreation. Being of faith is the same
as good business. Happiness and
conscience are intercontinental, and not for sale.
So why discuss this in today’s
commentary? How could something that
happened over a half-century ago be at all relevant to today?
Because the very nature of investing…
despite all the algorithms, calculus, and statistics…has a symmetry, a
comprehensiveness about it. If not, if
all you seek is to hit “home runs”, then you’re not investing….you are
gambling. Your financial advisor becomes
your croupier, and the whole exercise fails to live up to a nobler cause. Yes, profit-making and building net worth are
specific client objectives and how I earn my livelihood. But somewhere in the recesses of the
enterprise is buried the notion that we are all responsible for the well-being
of our only planet. It’s about time we
put a human face on all the integers and try to gain a real perspective about
what all the data means and who’s affected/influenced by it.
You want to invest in natural
resources? Fine, but be respectful of
the condition you leave the environment.
Food? How about making sure that
agribusiness is also a social compact, one which leaves no child hungry. Energy?
A dwindling natural resource that requires conservation and
sustainability. Technology is everyone’s
future. The list of inclusivity, nuance, and market
silos is too long for this page…
My work in the socially responsible
spaces is well documented. There is no
reason why we cannot use our collective talents in math and science and
engineering to do more than simple self-aggrandizement and profiteering. Go outside this evening, stare into the
darkness of space, and consider your fellow time travelers…past, present, and
future….and think on your contribution to them, as well as to your own family,
and ask, “is everyone alright tonight?”
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