Chapter 5 - Going to Economics
If you haven't read the previous chapters of 'The Adventures of Debit & Credit - A punny accounting story', then you should check them out first!
Chapter 1 - Let us go to Finance!
Chapter 2 - Meeting Income and Expense
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Chapter 5 - Going to Economics
The air was cool, the birds chirped and the wind danced its way throughout the atmosphere like it was performing the ballet. Professional, spic and span, cheerful and kind – that is how Debit and Credit decided the Planet of Economics was. Debit and Credit had landed on the Planet of Economics. They couldn’t really make out if it was the Planet which gave them a fuzzy feeling or if it was the inter-planetary travel. After the routine, not-required, excessive bureaucratic process of immigration was completed, Debit and Credit finally stepped out of the Adam Smith Inter-planet Airport, only to be greeted by a giant statue of Adam Smith staring down at them.
“Ah,” the drives said noting their stares, “This is the largest statue of our founding father! Isn’t it marvellous!” He exclaimed with beam of patriotic pride. “If you want, we can go to the ‘The evolution of Economics’ garden, the statue looks even more amazing and huge close up!”
Whoever thought of installing a huge-ass garden parallel to the airport, really did a brilliant job. It seemed to draw the tourists in. The citizens of Economics were called ‘Economists’ and the Economists were really good at studying human behavior. Obviously when you go to a new planet, the first thing you are greeted by really sticks in your head.
Debit and Credit strolled through the garden, they couldn’t help but marvel at it. Beauty, aesthetics, great architecture, you name it, the garden had it all. Sight-seeing wasn’t the first thing Debit and Credit had in mind, but hey! Life is meant to be lived impulsively.
The garden even had a luggage rack for people to store in their stuff as they strolled. It had open air lounges, choicest of foods, colorful flowers - all designed to make you chill. Finance was very glitzy and glamorous and on the other hand Economics was aesthetically pleasing. Accounting was just dull, it was symmetrical houses and roads. No room for aesthetics. Contrast between the planets was striking.
The first statue in the garden of ‘Evolution of Economics’ which greeted Debit and Credit was of the founding father of Economics – Adam Smith. Built on a raised black granite platform, the statue was 600 feet tall – The tallest in the entire galaxy! He was hailed as a true revolutionary who brought the wealth of nations to Economics!
“Wow, this is huge!” Debit exclaimed, craning his neck, as far as it went as he stared at the statue.
“Oh, look at this,” Credit said pointing to the stone inscriptions embossed in gold on black granite platform.
Adam Smith
The Father of Economics
16/Jun/1723 – 17/Jul/1790
“No society can surely be flourishing and happy,
of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.”
“Profound.”
“Well, actually there is a very popular saying by Adam Smith which is used in Finance,” Credit said.
“Is that so? I thought people in Finance didn’t like Economic thought that much.”
“Yeah, but Smith used to say, “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest”, I guess that was a hit with them.”
“Oh, that does sound like the motto of Finance. I guess, they picked the quote which aligned well with Economic view here,” Debit said reading the words inscribed on the stone again.
“Sure they did. But this is his most popular saying.”
“But his words do make sense. No one really is doing things out of love. The world is depressive and it makes sense. It isn’t idealistic.”
“Yeah, that is right.” Credit sighed looking at the statue and marvelling at the construction.
“Anyways, let’s go see the next big statue here,” Credit said tugging Debit along as he read the guide. “It is of John Maynard Keynes, in fact this guy is very popular in the Planet of Economics. His policies are used in the government till today.”
“Wasn’t he the same guy who said – In the long run we are all dead?” Debit asked walking along.
“Lol, yeah. Same one.”
“Nice humor he had,” Debit said with a laugh.
They meandered through the stone path, morning glories dotted each side of the path adding to the scenery with its vibrant purple color. As they wandered and enjoyed their surroundings, they soon came upon a huge statue of a balding guy erected on the stone platform. The stone inscriptions embossed in gold on the black-granite platform read,
John Maynard Keynes
The propagator of the Keynesian School of Thought
5/Jun/1883 to 21/Apr/1946
“Ideas shape the course of history.”
“Deep guy,” Debit said.
“Ah, yes. He was.” A stranger standing next to them said with a smile, he looked like someone who was a resident of the planet of Economics. “First visit to Economics?” He asked looking at them.
“Yes, this is our first time!” Debit replied with a smile.
“Where are you guys from?”
“Oh, we are residents of Accounting,” Credit supplied.
“Ah, nice!” The stranger said. “Nice planet, but a bit you know boring. I am sorry to say that.”
“Oh, no. It is okay, we kind of get that,” Debit said sheepishly.
“Thanks for being a good sport about it,” the stranger said with a smile. “Anyways do you all know that there is also another popular quote from Keynes, which they didn’t put up here…err...that quote came off a bit too strongly, it was said.”
“Is that so?” Debit asked curiously, "What was it?"
“So Keynes often remarked that, “Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone”. And you know with the recent scam which happened in finance, the whole leak thing, it is kind of apt.”
“He really went all out when he said that, didn’t he?” Debit said with a grin.
“Yes, he did! It was still a very Smith-era, when Keynes came out with his Ideas. But with the inter-planet war had happened and Keynes really helped a lot with development and recovery. His ideas were successful and widely adopted. It was so popular that it was called Keynesian Economics.”
“I guess they didn’t put that quote up here because I think it would have hurt the feelings of the visitors from the planet of Finance,” Credit said.
“Agreed. I think the same,” the stranger confided with a chuckle. “Anyways, you guys should visit the park at night too, there is sound and light show which happens here giving you the highlights of the 'Evolution of Economics', it is pretty fun to watch!”
“Oh, we didn’t know that. Thanks for letting us know!”
“No problem. Well, I shall take your leave now. It was nice meeting you all,” the friendly stranger said shaking hands with them and bidding them goodbye.
“He was nice. We should come again, besides this park is huge. I don’t think we’ll be able to cover it today,” Debit said to Credit.
“Yeah. People here are nice and friendly.”
“I hope people at our work are nice and friendly. We start our research work tomorrow,” Debit said reminding Credit of work.
“I don’t want to talk about work. It is depressing.”
“It is not like you can ignore it…”
“Well, as long as you don’t talk about it…”
“Oh, please!”
“Come, let’s look around for a while, then we have to leave. Maybe we can come again this weekend.”
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So, yeah. I know I haven’t updated this story for a while! My apologies to those who follow this story and who have enjoyed it, I was swamped with exams. So yeah.
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