I also started thinking about the financial crisis because money is serious in Europe. I am living off the ill-gotten gains of investment banking, but they are not ‘such’ gains. I have no income you see, and even I realise that when you spend without getting anything back – somewhere along the line you get into sh*t. It seems to be something that the greatest moneymen of the world (the central banks) don’t seem to realise. The financial crisis is over from what I can understand -- that is how they talk in Europe – and on the television. Bernanke said, ‘I was not going to be the fed chairman to preside over the world’s second great depression.’ Ego and the office of the fed seem principally to be a little like oil and water. Bernanke is the same dude that was cutting interest rates as if they were his birthday cake when the Dow was in the 13 000 to 14 000 zone. He did the only thing that he could to stimulate growth in the end: killed a few more trees and printed billions more money, and gave it away to those who caused the financial crisis (the banks) in the hope that some day he might get paid back.

I came across an interesting reading in the Old Testament on financial crisis: the story of Job. First of all I must point out that I am not religilous, but I do have a little bit too much time on my hands. I also believe there is wisdom in religion: all religion for that matter.

For those of you who don’t know the story, on a literal translation, Job had lots of wealth and lots of children, and was happy. Job was also a good man in God’s eyes – pious, but in the decent sense. In a test of faith, God (inspired by Satan: this is a literal translation so please don’t be angry religilous) removed all of Job’s wealth and killed his children and gave him boils. The test: would Job still believe in God if all these bad things happened to him. God and his angels went high – Satan went low. The community in which Job lived, including his wife, and a couple of wise men said he must have sinned and that he must confess his sins, or turn his back on God. Job spent hours and hours reflecting on what he had done, asking questions, getting to the depths of his feelings, and understanding his, what appeared to be ill fortune. To cut a long story short he came out at the end and said to everyone including God that he had done no wrong, so the fact that he had lost so much must purely be God’s will and if that was God’s will he openly accepted his fate. Basically: he would do it all again if he had to. In the end he calls to God to ask why this happened to him. He made peace with it but he lacked understanding. God answered Job – a little annoyed -- and gives quite a beautiful speech (as God would) about how little humanity really knows when compared with the real secrets of the universe. It is quite humbling whatever your particular theory on God. It is around Job 40 and worth a read. God is angry with Job only because he asked for an explanation. Job apologises and the story ends with God restoring Job and gives him much more riches than before, much prettier daughters and lets him live longer. The writing (stylistically) in the end is inconsistent with all the other parts and if I were bolder I would assume that it was put in at a later stage by some religilous to make an argument that Job’s belief in God saw his riches restored, because it is better to have a God who will restore your material riches. God is particularly angry with Job’s friends who said the only reason for financial crisis, the deaths and the boils, was sin. We hear nothing about Satan in the end but he always loses bets with God.

For me it is not the result that is important, or the literal translation it is what we can get out of the story. The main lesson from this for me is that financial crisis or any crisis is a time of reflection – deep and meaningful reflection depending on the crisis. If we reflect deeply on this financial crisis, I think unlike Job we will not be able to be so convinced that we did no wrong (ie this was no bet between Satan and God – we were the masters of our own destruction). The resulting financial crisis was supposed to give us time to reflect, deeply and meaningfully about how we want to move forward as a species. Job spent days questioning, and evaluating himself in all respects. We did not. All our banks went bust. I must say that again -- all our banks went bust. We seem to have started thinking that that is an ordinary everyday occurrence. What we were supposed to contemplate is what materialism brought out of this world; not in a witch-hunt fashion but in the fashion that is searching for a value system under which we would like to live for the next 100 years or longer. We were given a hint by the universe as to one of the things that might be causing humanity some trouble. Obviously things that were right yesterday might be wrong today: for truth is transient, but you don’t realize unless you reflect. I think maybe we were greedy. I think maybe we wanted more than we needed. I think maybe we sacrificed a part of the earth in order to feed our greed. I think maybe we did not share enough with those who could not eat. We caused this financial crisis, but we haven’t learnt – we did not even give ourselves a chance to reflect. Bernanke and the various central banks did that thing humans are famous for: a quick patch up job. You can’t blame them because the world was feeling very insecure and we all know how humans value security. In effect all they did was plug a very big hole with a whole lot of paper in what will go down in history as the greatest and most elaborate ponzi scheme known to mankind. This magic upturn of the market in the last couple of months is just a bunch of paper money being thrown into a system that still thinks it means something. I hope I am wrong because I love Hugo Boss and smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches as much as the next guy, but I don’t think I am. Spare a thought for Bernanke because he is going to look like a real c*nt when this is all over. It is not his fault – it is where history and all of us left him. The financial crisis is not over – not by a long shot. I am no bear because most of the time I cannot but think how magnificent humanity is, and we will eventually come through this learning the lessons that we need to learn, but the financial crisis is not over, and we need to all be prepared. I think our riches will be restored: but they will not be in the financial system that has been so tied to us in this age of materialism.

Other than thinking, I went to the Loveland Festival in Amsterdam – I enclose a little clip, which should be a lag. I took the ferry from Hoek Van Holden (Holland) to Harwich (England) and was stopped by customs on the way in. They were waiting for me. Apparently I fit the profile. I wanted to ask what kind of criminal a single white middle-aged skinhead unemployed metrosexual emo South African male would be: but I don’t think I want to know the answer to that one. I think it had something to do with my shiny new blue bag with patterns that matches my eyes. The Poms won the ashes while I was in the UK. I didn’t go to the game. It was a very big event. I am not sure why such a fuss was made out of a battle for mid table obscurity in world test cricket. As for SA rugby, I watched us play against Australia in the Bok Bar in Covent Garden in London. I can’t help feeling a little like a gushing bride every time I watch this team. I have waited so long for a Bok team to be totally dominant. I think we all need to take some time to bask in the brilliance of this team. They are definitely all men. Bismark is a little silly but I can forgive him for that. There seems to be a weird targeting down under of our scrum particularly John Smit. The commentators said it and the referee seemed to follow. They are going after our hero here – let it be noticed and let us not be fooled – they don’t have players, so psychology is their only weapon. The Boks have always been a little weak on psychology. Without Smit this team would be good: but it would not be perfect. Our captain is a legend and he is a brilliant player. Lets not fall into the usual trap of going after our heroes. I know I ask for a lot but I want 3 tri-nations and another World Cup from this team: they have the ability to get it for me and for all of you Bok supporters out there too.

SEE JACK @ LOVELAND

I am now off to Egypt to see the pyramids, dive, and finally spend time in the desert. I think I might even take in the Valley of the Kings. There is something about Egypt. I think it holds the secrets of the universe – maybe a little too close to its chest, but I will see if I can prise anything away from it.