Bush, AIG, Lynch, Lehman, Madoff & the sub-prime players, thanks for your service.

That's right. Thanks for your service. You have done a priceless service to your country. Hey, it's tough out there right? Anyone with an iPhone, Blackberry, or a cathode ray tube can see that we're being told it's tough out there. I saw a headline this morning suggesting an eight trillion dollar bailout. Sure, why not. Eight trillion, I think that's the 2009 salary cap for The New York Yankees too.

Well, be that as it may. However the world at large frames our current economic, social or political climate, I say it's all a matter of perspective. I'll even go as far as saying we're in a good place. Yeah, good. Because there's value here. As an Empowerment Coach, it's my job to hold this space. The uncomfortable, dark, murky, embarrassing, smelly places just as much as the joyful, elated, bright, shiny psyched up places. It's all a part of the process of life. Take a look to see what juicy nuggets can be gleamed from within:

Billion dollar ponzi schemes, Two American wars, Cronyism in the white house, prisoner torture, unconstitutional eavesdropping, overextended mortgage lending, golden parachutes, national debt in the trillions, a besmirched reputation as a global superpower. That's not all of it, but it's a good chunk.


Who have we become as a society when we support the reward system of extending credit to people who aren't eligible for it in the first place?
Who are we as individuals who either facilitated the giving or receiving of that credit?
Who are we to place material gain ahead of principals?
What good can come from all of this?
Were is the learning in all of this?

Now, as a Coach, I feel the state of reflection that people are in these days. I hear it on the streets of New York. I speak to it in my coaching sessions. My phone is ringing now more than ever. The people I speak with see this time as an opportunity to change. To explore their core values, to acquire inner fulfilment, to seek help with a project. This place of self reflection, or self assessment is golden. This "climate" is ripe for a gut check for the soul.
There's the good.
There's the learning.

On Tuesday, December 3rd, I read an article in The New York Times about Bernard L. Madoff and his ties to Yeshiva University. What drew me to the article was a quote printed in bold italics. The quote and a link to the article is below.

" In elevating to a level of demiworship people with big bucks, we have been destroying the values of our future generation. We need a total rethinking of who the heroes are, who the role models are, who we should be honoring."
- Rabbi Benjamin Blech, professor of philosophy of law, on the downfall of Bernard Madoff

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/nyregion/23yeshiva.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=betrayed%20by%20madoff&st=cse

Rabbi Blech called it, alright. There's a man who is in a state of reflection. He is looking inward to deepen the learning of himself and working to influence, in a positive way, those whose lives he touches. And here we are. The New Year. A new beginning. This is an opportunity provided by the uber elite who have fallen from grace. An opportunity to check our guts, to take stock in what we're made of, to roll up our sleeves are recreate ourselves for ourselves. This is a great place.
Thanks Bernie...