At age 59, I finally consider myself a pretty balanced person. But this hasn’t always been the case – just ask my family.
Working on a trading floor is not something a “balanced” person would choose to do. I worked both on Wall Street and in London for what is now Deutche Bank on the bond trading desk. It was fascinating and exhilarating…but the stress contributed to a health issue that plagued me for over a decade. I came to a turning point in 2020, accepting that my wellbeing was severely out of balance and that I needed to start making drastically different life and career choices if I wanted to regain my health.
As someone who has practiced yoga and meditation for over 30 years, who has lived through the above-mentioned health crisis and launched a financial advisory business through the lens of consumer advocacy, I am a strange mix of left-brained logic/hard core numbers, and right-brained intuition.
The purpose of this blog post is to offer a different lens through which to consider the vaccine – one that takes into consideration the intersection of finance, Covid and the concepts of Yin Yang. Please stay open as you read, and feel free to reach out if you want to have a conversation.
YIN YANG
Yin and Yang, as represented by the image below, is an ancient eastern philosophical concept that describes how obviously opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.
In its simplest terms, Yin/Yang represent opposites with the goal of learning to make life choices that balance these opposites so we can thrive. Yin/Yang can be a quality or be represented by an object.
A few examples include:
| Yin | Yang |
|---|---|
| Moon | Sun |
| Rest | Movement |
| Cold | Hot |
| Water | Fire |
| Receptive | Active |
The ancient symbol also represents our interconnectedness. One of my most important life lessons is that our choices impact not just ourselves, but also our families and those around us in very significant ways. We are all connected, interrelated to one another. I have had many laughs (and tears) with my siblings about how our respective choices have significantly impacted one another. And of course, this extends to my spouse, friends and my team members.
Yin Yang is the idea that two opposite characteristics can exist in harmony and complement each other. It’s the idea behind quotes like, “there can be no light without darkness.” Yin (the black segment) and yang (the white segment) each represent various qualities, various approaches.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FINANCE AND ECONOMICS? EVERYTHING.
While the most devastating impact of this virus is of course on humanity, the second most devastating impact is on our economy.
Inflation is spiking for the first time in decades because many people continue to get sick, resulting in labor shortages. This leaves companies without enough employees to produce and distribute the food and supplies needed by our communities.
The simple definition of inflation – too much money chasing too few goods – results in everyone’s dollars not going as far. It now takes $40 to fill up your car with gas, compared to $25 just a couple of years ago. (But this is another good reason to go electric!)
TAKING A BALANCED APPROACH.
We are living through a period in history where a virus is ravaging families, friends, and our communities. And as we are seeing, in spite of feeling like we are living in a bubble, stuck once again in our homes with our primary human connection being Zoom and social media, we are actually very connected…if we weren’t connected this virus would not be ravaging our communities.
Yin Yang illustrates we are all interconnected and that two opposite characteristics can complement each other. It’s not an “either or,” it’s “and.” It’s not either the vaccine or healthy choices. It’s both. It’s a balance.
CONCLUSION
I am a big believer in making healthy life choices. This is my foundation. But, based on my prior health crisis, where I ended up even sicker by refusing the help of western medicine, I learned that a balanced approach was for my circumstances the most beneficial. So, now I do both – make healthy life choices and take thyroid medication. It’s a balance.
I understand there are many views to consider – including who (or what) is the real enemy? From my perspective, the enemy is the virus…not the media, not the pharmaceutical industry, not Dr. Fauci – or any number of other organizations or people who have had a finger pointed at them.
Right now, the world order is severely out of balance. The data is proving that those who are vaccinated and who have made good choices to support their health and well-being are not getting as sick, and the death rate for this population has plummeted. All we have to do is look to New Zealand to see this is possible.
Please consider taking the vaccine, looking through a different lens – consider that we are all connected and to get the “global financial balance back,” we need to act. We need healthy people to work and produce so they can financially support their families and build healthy communities.
There is no way to escape (or dismiss) just how interconnected we all are. And those who have studied eastern philosophy know that there must be something to this 5,000+ years of ancient wisdom!