Perception of Time

Perception of time is a strange thing. Time moves so slowly when we’re young. My son can’t believe his luck when he’s rewarded an extra fifteen minutes of screen time, but that all changes as we age. I feel panicked if I have less than an hour to get anything done, and feel hopeless trying to find the 45 minutes required to watch an episode on Netflix.

And here I am, looking back at the letters we’ve sent out over this past year. We sent three separate pieces in March of 2020, right in the midst of the pandemonium. It has only been a year, and although I would normally remark on how quickly a year goes by, it has been a loooong year.

So much has changed in the doings of our lives, but just as I said in those letters 12 months ago, we haven’t changed as much as we feared we would. To a great extent, we all want more time and freedom to do the things we want to do. We are all just as disappointed about the political landscape, yet still driven to talk about it. We are all still emphatically disgusted with taxes. But to a great extent, we are going to the doctor, getting our shopping done, flying on planes, and as I am starting to see more and more… wanting to get back to the in-person workplace.

Our trials and tribulations are not over. We still must contend with the virus. And part of humanity may always be a social and political maze. We eventually are forced to turn back around, find some common point of orientation, before doggedly pressing forward in some new direction in hopes of finding an exit. But as I need to often remind myself, humanity has two definitions. One involves simply the state of being human, which encompasses our social and political discord. The other definition is compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition: the quality or state of being humane.

Humanity acknowledges its risks and steadfastly moves forward. This is the basis of our investment principles. Despite the fear of the day, we get back to doing what we do, and strive to make things better for ourselves and each other. At the root, how we invest your savings is driven and energized by all of those human concepts, and as things stand today, this should turn out to be a good and exciting year.

I wish you all the best of luck and happiness with the changing season.

Justin Anderson