Relax, it's just life

If there is one thing I have learned over my many decades of life, is that things we thought would change things forever never do. I have lived through wars I thought would never end, economic blow-ups that were certain to end the financial system as we know it, presidents that were too good to be true (and were) and the other kind as well. No matter how bad or good things got, they always reverted off the extremes and delved back into normalcy, if there is such a thing. Fast forward to today and we have a contentious political polarization, more foreign strife complete with bullets flying and people dying, inflation eating away at consumer pocketbooks and more weird things in general happening that make one think mankind will certainly be changed forever. Not so and don't worry too much about it, I say. Been there, done that, and we always seem to survive as a species and the lights remain on. I used to think and subsequently fear the many things that would pop up both economically and in life in general and never be able to see the forest through the trees. Whatever occurred seemed too dire and serious that I could not imagine anything like what I was witnessing would work itself out so everything would be OK. I would lose sleep, furl my brow and wring my hands along with the rest of the good people around me and be absolutely certain the end was near. But it never came to pass. What did pass was the thing I was so certain would never pass, and life went on as it always seems to. I don't know if its divine intervention, the intelligence of the human race or just the luck of the draw, but we seem to persist as a species and the markets seem to keep on chugging along, climbing the proverbial "wall of worry," as it is said. Indeed, not only do the markets climb the proverbial wall of worry, seemingly life does, too. We fret as investors, we worry as dads and moms, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors and workers and bosses. Seldom is the keel even, the winds steady and the seas calm. And if they are, we know another tempest is just off the port bow and we must be ever vigilant. And so it goes with our markets today, our environment, our lives and our world. Anytime I worry a bit TOO much, I remind myself that, whatever it is, this too will pass. And it will. I just know mankind likes to meddle with stuff, we strive for strife it seems, and we like to turn over apple carts and change things seemingly just for the sake of changing things. And so it goes. As economist John Maynard Keynes once implied way back in a 1923 musing of his: "In the end, we are all dead." Not much comfort there, I know, but the jest of that matter seems to be don't worry too much. I think back to a line in the movie "Jurassic Park," which seems to sum it all up: "Life finds a way." And it certainly seems to. This article expresses the opinion of Marc Cuniberti and is not meant as investment advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities, nor represents the opinion of any bank, investment firm or RIA, nor this media outlet, its staff, members or underwriters. Mr. Cuniberti holds a BA in Economics with honors, 1979, and California Insurance License #0L34249. His insurance agency is BAP INC. insurance services. Email: news@moneymanagementradio.com