Hammer Time

I’m not sure why but I love the adage ” To a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. While the phrase  can be widely interpreted and applied, my take is that it describes a world which is a very complex and intricate organism. Problems and issues are very rarely black and white, and most people view the world through their own self-interested lens. While this is simply human nature to attempt to simplify major issues and challenges, it seems like we are living in a world of hammers. The hammers are out in force worldwide as populist regimes not only here, but in Italy, The U.K. and elsewhere are attempting to push through agendas whose consequences are wholly indeterminate. Economic imbalances, such as trade and currency, are often a coalescence of forces, and not the result of one single driving factor. What is most frustrating to us however is that policy and societal issues which could use a hammer such as gun control, gender pay equality and fiscal prudence get little or no play.