At Peace With the Market

It has been a long road coming to terms with the market. I would like to claim that it was in my bones, and perhaps it was, but it was not in my rearing.

The virtue of entitlement. That was my youthful American dogma from the 60's onward, encouraged by parents who should have known better. We weren't treated as we saw fit? We railed indignantly at vendors, trying to get them to see exactly how relations between business and client should be. Get charged 75% over market rates for a horrible sandwich at Disneyworld? We'd complain with the indignity of a slave.

As we saw it, there was a certain way to treat people, and that was the way it was going to be. As stupid as it sounds to me now, transactions were not voluntary in our minds; they were expected. Our way of treating the world was to be mirrored by all businesses, even in cases where terms were known before the transaction was begun.

What fools. What unnecessary heartache we suffered through delusion bordering on socialist.

I look back in shame at letters I wrote to a software vendor years ago. I used their software all day long for my business. When they moved to higher versions, they left some basic functions behind. Was that their right? Not according to me! They got page after page describing how screwed up they were, how wrong it was to do what they did, and . . . well, it's too embarrassing to recall accurately – all over software with which I had been very happy before they moved on.

Idiot!

Even a shallow foray into economics brings peace that could never exist with an entitlement mind set. A business now offers terms which I find ludicrous? Wonderful! I will abstain. A policy makes no sense? To hell with it! It could work out for me in the long run. The key is understanding and embracing the voluntary nature of the market. Voluntary. What a word. We do not deserve any service merely by existing. Ice cream vendors weren't born to serve us.

Something else which never hit me was the value of my time. Even recently I spent hours on the web finding the perfect combination of offers for various products I wanted: This business has lower prices, but high shipping. Another is out of stock on one item, has lower shipping, but requires a coupon. The variety is endless, as it should be. However, I saw this as a monstrosity – as an unfairness which shouldn't exist. How unfair for this business to get everything so right and then tag on a crazy "shipping and handling" charge. Something needed to be done!

I was blind. I did not realize that the idea is to balance. Balance the cost of perfection with the loss of life (time). Balance the "righteousness" of low prices with ultimate value. I now happily click the button for imperfect transactions. I embrace imperfection. I trust the direction of my transactions, and the information they give to the businesses I buy from and those I don't. Voting with money is the only democracy for me.

The beauty of cherishing the free market is the brevity of the trip, and the longevity of the payoff. I have made the transition, and things which used to be frustrating are now delicious items of choice. It is possible to revel in the stupidity of business, and even give dispassionate, constructive feedback when crippling hatred of the market is left behind for good.

I have been graduated to freedom and contentment. Now, onward to government!

October 9, 2002

Charley Hardman (send him mail) works with databases in Washington, DC.

Back to LewRockwell.com Home Page