“Davidson” submits:
Mark Perry writes about the key trends he sees developing in our economy, In this blog he combines several sources to illustrate the environmental effects of the current natural gas glut. Below you will find a chart and two excerpts., Go to the link to read the full text.
Again we see Julian Simon’s “The Ultimate Resource” in full bloom as human ingenuity results in beneficial solutions to perceived problems. The simple explanation for what has occurred the past few years can be found in our propensity to do things “Faster, Better, Cheaper” This can be found in every corner of human productivity, every human endeavor.
The reason this occurs comes from Mises observations driving human striving. Economist Ludwig von Mises called this “Human Action” or “angst”. Humans carry an innate driver to discover. My interpretation is that we have a constant hunger for new information. Once something new has been explored and been understood, we become bored and begin looking for the next new thing. Unless we have a constant stream of new information inputs, we become unfocused and “antsy”. New discoveries produce such a sense of accomplishment, a sense of being alive and being intimately connected to the world around us that we are addicted to the process. To discover is to have a defined sense of purpose. It is the answer to the most basic questions, “Why am I here? What is my purpose?” There is no greater feeling than to have discovered something new and valuable and shared it with other human beings.
Steven Hawking said in his 60h birthday lecture, “”There is nothing like the ‘Eureka’ moment, of discovering something that no one knew before…I will not compare it to sex – but it lasts longer.”
We are constantly pushing back the edges of what we do not know. This is a dynamic process which is intimately incorporated into everyday living. We often treat much of what we do as mundane when compared to discovering the composition of Saturn’s rings or seeking to find evidence of the Higg’s boson, the “God” particle. Discovery is basic to being human!
The Apple iPhone and the natural gas discoveries which accord us such benefit arise from the same fundamental human drive to discover.
My favorite book is Simon’s “The Ultimate Resource II” which is in a paperback version. Simon writes about the many seemingly intractable “End of the World” issues which periodically flash in the headlines that humans have solved thru ingenious discovery. The Ultimate Resource II” is highly recommended if one wants to be a good investor, a Value Investor. One needs to be optimistic when all about are pessimistic and to buy when all are selling. Value Investors live by Warren Buffett’s, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful”