Christmas presents many with a real conundrum. On the one hand it is a time of celebration, joy and exuberance. On the other it is a lonely, depressing and sad time. Those less fortunate will not relish the celebrations. Those who have lost loved ones will want to preserve dignity. Those who detest dark, damp days will yearn for much brighter times.
Christmas means an awful lot to Christians. Children enjoy it for the novelty and fantasy – while parents revel in the wonder of their child’s innocence. But somewhat unfortunately, Christmas tends to characterise materialism, self-indulgence and greed.
No matter what your beliefs, most faith systems extol tolerance, forbearance and charity. Perhaps, we should all take a little time to remind ourselves of those virtues. Be patient with the crank. Show acceptance for petulant tantrums. Be forgiving even where we are not wronged. Practice remorse.
We are tugged by the adversarial nature of our day-to-day lives – the hustle and bustle and speed. But it doesn’t need to be so! We can slow down – our world will not collapse. We can consider others – that’s not a sign of weakness. We can embrace contrary convictions – restraint can be a wonderful feeling.
This weekly commentary has touched on most aspects of finance and economics over the years – subjects that are deeply affected by human behaviour. It’s incredible how little we can determine without first understanding how our fellow humans will react. When the mobile phone was created it was thought of as a useful tool to complement our use of the landline. The explosion of text messaging was not even a consideration.
Human behaviour plays an intrinsic role in finance. It propels the fundamental fulcrum of demand and supply. It influences all market pricing. The notion of the tug-of-war between purchasers and sellers conjures up images of unseemly tussles – like the stampedes for bargains in the sales.
Imagine a more forgiving world! Is that such a terrible thing? MMPI is not going soft. We are still capitalists at heart. But we do recognise the limitations of our actions. We cannot produce profits out of thin air. We cannot waste our scarce resources. We are fortunate in that we are very close to our customers. We get to hear what they have to say on a whole host of topics. Our customers are not fans of the bolshie, brash behaviour that seems to be currently dominating the financial and political worlds.
Christmas is but one week in the year but it can serve as a beacon for reflection. More of the same or a change of ways! MMPI is not overly virtuous but we do care about others.
We would like to wish all our friends a very safe, happy and enjoyable Christmas. Thank you for your loyalty and support over the years. We sincerely hope you get to greet all your loved ones over the holiday season! Very best wishes for 2019 and beyond from all in MMPI Group!
