#07. Let’s make some Ketchup :)

The Past is History, The Future is a Mystery, Now is the Time, My Friend… Seize It! Now is the Gift—That's Why It's Called the Present.

Picture this: 1929. The Great Depression. Stock markets crumbled, unemployment soared, and industrial productivity plummeted to depths previously unimaginable. The theory of Natural Order held its iron grip on economic thought. Chaos reigned. Collusion flourished. Adam Smith, with his doctrine of the Invisible Hand, prescribed a brutal remedy: "Purge the rottenness. Liquidate everything—labour, farmers, real estate, stocks!"

Meanwhile, ordinary people cried out for essentials as prices climbed beyond reach. Who should bear the responsibility? Who would face the consequences? The wealthy might grow wealthier while the poor stagnated—or worse, perished. Were we really meant to wait for the Invisible Hand, that mystical force of natural order, to restore balance?

But why wait for the "right time"? What even is the right time? Some distant, suitable moment? What kind of forward-looking approach are we seeking?

Consider this: a basket brimming with tomatoes—some fresh and vibrant, others wilting and imperfect. The classical approach would discard the damaged ones, trusting the market's magic to eventually revive agricultural productivity through newly grown crops. But here's a radical thought—why not make ketchup? Transform the less-than-perfect tomatoes into immediate nourishment. Make some soup. Then, with what remains, begin anew. Why not launch an entirely new venture? The Ketchup Industry.

The Ketchup Industry! A revolutionary perspective—we create an entirely new solution for rotting tomatoes. We employ people. Yes, it might strain present budgets, but the horizon gleams with promise. The employed generate income. Income fuels consumption. Consumption revives demand. And just like that—voilà! —the economy awakens.

Now, bring this home: we all carry imperfect thoughts, unresolved emotions, misunderstood feelings within us. Why keep beating against the same unyielding wall? Why not channel that energy into creating something entirely new? When we emerge from our moments of doubt, we discover something unexpected—a bottle of rich, tangy, perfectly spiced ketchup, ready and waiting. The hard part is done. Now we simply need to prepare the meal.

As the father of modern economics, John Maynard Keynes, famously declared: "In the long run, we are all dead." Sobering, isn't it? So when will we start filling that bottle of ketchup? Seize today, my friends. Because as Master Oogway wisely told our beloved Kung Fu Panda—yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present. (Excerpts from my classes – A special thanks to my students).

(Pic.) What's the Ketchup you're gonna make? :)