The Empty Stomach Theory

Today was such an awesome day... absolutely nothing interesting happened. Yesterday was somewhat similar, so was the day before that and the ones before that. We have been wallowing in peace and serenity, calm consolidating markets, low leverage and very little to seriously trouble us. Granted there are all sorts of terrifying things looming somewhere around the horizon, but we're Genext! We live for today...who cares about something as murky as European debt? It's Europe! It doens't affect India! We have a consumption story!!! Yeah right! Sound familiar? Sub-Prime wasn't an Indian problem either....

Anyhow, it got me thinking about life in general and I realised, looking back, the best examples of art, science, music etc etc were all borne out of economic despair... Recessions forced people to think and innovate and people responded by coming out with some pretty snazzy stuff! Innovate or starve. Apparently depression, panic and an empty stomach is a killer combination for a successful product... provided of course you manage to take care of that whole 'appreciated in this lifetime' bit... what's the point of living in poverty and being a posthumous multimillionaire...Life may be a gift from God but I'd like to enjoy my gains (ill gotten or otherwise) while I can thank you very much! Once I pop off, they ain't coming with me.

Now push that thought a little further. Let's look at the concept of Heaven and Hell. According to all we hear, at least the Catholic/Christian versions, Heaven is a place of peace and goodwill with angels playing their heavenly music and the Lord watching beningly over us. Hell on the other hand is hot and has the whole 'burn for all eternity' thing, fire and brimstone, purgatory, eternal torment of the soul... blah blah blah.

Now taking the 'Empty Stomach Theory' and stretching it to Heaven and Hell, I think Hell might just be a tad more interesting. Consider for a moment. Heaven is full of rewards for years of agony and struggle. But what do you do once you're there? Play the harp? Spend your days sipping milk and honey? I doubt anyone will be allowed free speech, hobbies or competitions in Heaven. Just see how much conflict they cause here on Earth! So you basically do nothing to mar/wrinkle/disturb the Heavenly atmosphere. That would be bad for business. I'm guessing religious types and gospel singers go straight there.

Now Hell on the other hand would have all the crazies from Earth. From my point of view, along with the murderers and other assorted bad types, you would also find the blasphemous comedians, rock stars, artists that scandalised the establishment, other religions that God didn't approve of... in short a large number of people. All of them in eternal suffering and torment.... According to the Empty Stomach Theory, this is the ideal recepie for creativity of no mean order! I mean financial products extrodinare, music like you've never heard, art like you've never seen, plays like you've never imagines... creativity unleashed. Sounds like an interesting place doesn't it?

Don't know about you but it definitely makes me rethink a few ''absolutes''... primarily that there might just have been a few translation errors in the early Christian versions... the errors seem to have continued through all subsequent upgrades. Chances are Heaven and God aren't as boring as the holier than thou types have painted it. I mean how often have you come across situations where the peons are way more stuck up than the CEO himself? Chances are we're spending all our time toeing the line of the minions when the big cahoona is actually quite chilled out. Hah! Funny thought! Imagine if Heaven is just one big beach party and all those puritians end up there find out they spent their entire lives condemning what was actually God's work! And if Heaven is one big party then what is Hell? Exam season! Ugh! The word still gives me the jitters. Even worse, an exam of a subject that you didn't study for and you woke up and ended up in the exam hall in your underwear! Every student's worst nightmare! Though in all honesty I have studied for the wrong exam on occasion.

So in conclusion. The Empty Stomach Theory makes life interesting. When faced with an empty bowl, think out of the bowl. If that doesn't work, turn it over and come up with a drum solo. And existing theory vis a vis entry requirements for Heaven and Hell has some holes. Just like the whole "The Earth is Flat" theory was disproves, so too will this. So live free and die in peace!