This is the Winter of Our Discontent
It’s a few weeks too early to engage in year end stock taking, but I will do so anyway. As look back on 2011, it’s clear that the contrast between my own good fortune and that of so many of my countrymen has never been so marked. This was the year that saw the publication of my book, the graduation of my son from college, the marriage of my youngest daughter, and, just yesterday, the close of FINCA Microfinance Holdings, which gives us $70 million in fresh capital with which to reach hundreds of thousands of new microentrepreneurs with the financial services they need to start or grow their businesses, and as a consequence better feed, clothe, shelter and educate their families.
Who could ask for more?
The first frost fell last night. We got the plants in from the deck just in time. The rest of the garden goes dormant for the next several months, to be reborn in the spring. You wonder if the plants and trees, on reflowering, harbor any memories of the previous years and seasons.
What a shame that mankind couldn’t have it’s own collective memory erased every winter, and make a fresh start each spring. Forget all the tribal, cultural, and political squabbles that hamstring our progress towards civilization, and take up the business of improving our lives with a clean slate.
Our own Killing Frost.
Rupert