Memories and Associations

I started this blog because I wanted to pass on to my kids the thoughts and ideas about upbringing of children. I wanted to share my experiences and what I learned by doing, the mistakes I made, and the lessons I learned. I also wanted to tell them stories from my teaching years and the educational philosophies I share with some other people from my generation. I did not think I would have followers or that I would make a profound effect on future generations. Really, I always considered myself a representative of current trends, the majority. Whatever I think is the stuff that everybody thinks now. You can find books and articles with the same ideas and similar thoughts from many who lives at this time. Today's blog is not about bringing up the next generation, it is about saving ourselves. It's more egocentric and self-preserving. Let's save us from our own ignorance.

I am turning 60 this year. These are important years in anybody's life. These are years when Saturn comes out of its natal place in your astrological chart and your life starts a new cycle again. First time Saturn was in this place I'd been just born. Second time it was passing through this place we moved to America. This time I plan to retire as soon as I can afford it. Yes, I am moving into my golden years and dreaming about all the things I will be doing when I retire. However, the fact that I do have a pension and I will live pretty comfortably is not my own achievement. I have it thanks to the Teachers Union.

28 years ago when I just came to this country I didn't know that I had to take care of my old years. I came from the Soviet Union where it was the responsibility of the government and people could not change a thing about it. That part of our lives was a complete mystery for me. I remember going to all those pension meetings and hearing bla-bla-bla-bla. Could not understand a thing, I still can't sometimes. I only learned that the Union would take some money from my salary and save it, the City would double the amount, and that how I grow my pension.

Recently, I've learned a little more about my pension: the money is not just saved, the money goes to work. It is paid to the current pensioners and when I retire my pension will come from people who still work.

There are other choices in my pension plan, but they are optional so I never applied, they are called TDA and TD... something else. People who have those plans can save more from their salary by making investments. I could not even think about saving any more, I was bringing up 2 children alone, every penny was needed.

I have to tell you, you never stop learning. Things you ignored before as complicated become clear and simple. Things you could not hear or see because you were not ready to comprehend suddenly attack you from all directions and you begin to understand what they mean. Some time ago I completely understood things related to investments. The last drop came last weekend when I turned on channel 13 which I rarely watch (but donate a little and love Bill Moher). They were talking about sustainable or ethical financing, laws which came in the 90's and financial institutions that follow the laws.

I have been thinking for quite some time that we must change the way how the market works. It should not ignore the way companies produce or grow things. Investors must refuse to give money to fracking companies, and GMO-chemical-making companies, and especially geo-engineers because they will kill us and our children very soon. It's stupid to pay money to be killed. Don't we want to protect ourselves and our children, don't we want to survive and prosper????

How stupid should you be? They spray you with aluminum and other heavy metals while experimenting with weather. They send Sandy on New York to bankrupt insurance companies, their competitors. They poison your water and food to extract gas out of rocks. They grow corn and soy which make living things sterile, unable to reproduce. They convert natural food into man-made addictive chemicals. All of that in the name of profit. And you pay, and pay, and pay for all of that. Do not complain about them. You gave them the money to do all of that, twice. First time when you invested your hard earned pension savings and the second time when you bought their products and participated in their experiments. I should exchange the “you” by “we” here, please, do not get distracted by this little typo. I am one of you.

I wonder how many of you know that your pension is growing because you invested in Coca-Cola? I am glad I did not have TDA, I did not participate in Coca Cola's privatizing of India's water. How many invested in oil companies? Can you move your money from oil into solar? I am not sure. Those of you who know, have to wait to this one month a year when you can rearrange your TDA choices. Even after that you will not really know who will grow your money and how, or will you?

The whole system of investment in pensions is so inert that I am not sure it can adjust to the new needs of the society and now our investments kill our children and grandchildren. There are people who live for the future, they already moved their money into sustainable and ethical businesses. Their money is really fluid, but there are too few of them. Majority of investors do not consider how the business affects their own lives while making the decision to invest or not, the only consideration is how high the dividends will be. So here is the contradiction – you invest your money in the businesses which eventually will kill you and your children and the planet Earth.

I watched channel 13 and learned that there are laws right now placed in the 90s about sustainable and ethical investments. Professional financiers who work with your money must know about and should not invest your money into businesses which damage the earth. If it worked the fracking companies would not have any investor by now, but they do. So the laws are too weak and not enough. We have to wake up and save ourselves. Let's suffocate fracking and geo engineering, and gmo makers and many more killers by not giving them our money. Let's teach our children not to go work for them no matter how much they pay.