Assignment 8 - Anna Baskin

Fears: being unhappy later in life, bugs with an unreasonable number of legs

Annoyances: hypocrisy, judgmental people

Accomplishments: over 300 books in my “Read” bookshelf of Goodreads, good grades, my brother now chews with his mouth closed (we’ve been working on that)

Confusions: the economy

Sorrows: the economy

Dreams: traveling, helping others

Idiosyncrasies: reading a 700 page book in a day

Risks: rock climbing, not cleaning my room when my mom told me to yesterday

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then: my first Webkinz (then), my book collection (now)

Problems: procrastination, taking on too many responsibilities

The economy baffles me. My confusion: when it comes down to it, money doesn’t exist. It’s paper. It’s kinda green. It’s got presidents on it. But it doesn’t mean anything. Who decided that an Abraham Lincoln was worth more than a George Washington? And why does everyone agree? To confuse me further, add in the fact that we use virtual currency now. When I swipe a credit card, no physical money is moving, just a couple of number on a computer. Now consider that money has no fixed value; it’s not even backed by silver and gold anymore. Technically, it shouldn’t be worth anything. And then we go add in stocks - otherwise known as the most useless invention ever. I understand the stocks that give you money as a stock holder. But why on earth do people buy a stock to sell it at a higher value? The stock isn’t worth any money on its own. That’s like if a man collected jars of air, only to sell them back to another man for a higher price. The air isn’t worth anything. It’s useless. Yet somehow they keep selling. It is baffling. My conclusion: money is fake, and the economy isn’t a real thing. If anyone would like to enlighten me, I would welcome the help.