Time Warp. Einstein. and the Timeliest Information

Time Warp. Einstein.  Recently, there was a story in the Smithsonian Magazine (no I’m not that erudite) that caught my interest and brought to mind other similar instances. This story was about a family of Russians who had survived in the harsh climate for more than forty years, without having had contact with any other humans. The story began in 1936 when Karp Lykov’s brother was shot and killed by Communists during one of the frequent government purges. Lykov grabbed his family and some seeds, and disappeared into the woods. His children were born, lived and died without seeing other humans, and they  survived on what they could sow or hunt. They were discovered in 1976 by surveyors of a mining company, and through them, the story was told of survival. They had no idea that World War 2 had happened, knew nothing of the Cold War, and were astounded to learn that man had been to the moon.

 

I remember reading, when I was a kid, of Japanese soldiers who were still fighting on behalf of the Japanese Imperial Army when they were found in 1974, still hiding out in the Philippines. He had not known that WW2 had ended although he had seen some flyers over the years. He had dismissed those as propaganda. He had had three other soldiers with him: one surrendered in 1946 and the other two were killed in skirmishes with Filipino soldiers in 1952 and 1974. He was found by a hippie Japanese student who told him what had happened, but Onoda, the soldier, would not surrender. When the student went back to Japan, he told the military that Onoda would only take orders from his senior officer. The military found his commanding officer, then a book seller, took him to the Philippines and gave Onoda the orders to stand down. And there was another Japanese soldier who was found later in 1974. It’s all about survival.

 

I’m sure there are other stories about people who live in isolation, either by choice or because of the fear attached to the choice. I’m sure that some kinds of sociological studies were done on the Japanese soldiers, but the article on the Russians was not very clear on that.

 

We have cases now where people hole up in the mountains or in some isolated settlements for some group of reasons – whether it would be fear and loathing of government, religion, fear or just because. I don’t understand the mentality behind the reasoning, but I do understand how the “anti’ feeling could develop. It just takes a charismatic leader and followers who are totally gullible. Hitler and the Nazis could be an example and I guess that Jonestown is a fairly recent example  of a similar but different fear.

 

Albert Einstein is quoted ” Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, but I’m not sure about the former.”  I have to agree with his wisdom, although I must say, that some of the surveyor space probes sent out 30 or 40 years ago, are still sending back information as they continue their journey to wherever. Someday, Capt. Kirk and Spock will actually make the light year journeys into space, and actually prove that Einstein was right on both counts. And we just smile, and say that there is no way that there is other intelligent life forms in the universe.

My question is whether those other life forms will even consider us to be intelligent ?

 

And another great Einstein quote is ” Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I’ve read that fish have memories that last a second, or fractions thereof. That’s why the fish in your tank are always enthralled by the little castle that they see every few minutes. And that little castle never moves.

How about your castle? What have you done recently to ensure that it continues to protect you? Have you had a professional look at your mortgage situation to show you how you might  get some tax free disposable income? This professional is available to look at your purchase transaction AND your refinance situation to make sure that you have the best product for your situation. Call me – I work weekends !! 818.305.4695

Or if you have bigger castles, one of my investors will provide bridge loans anywhere in the USA. They issued a Letter of Intent for an buyer with buildings located in California and on the east coast – and they did that in about 72 hours. Some clients have asked me to present multi-family projects in Arizona, Kansas, and a commercial property in Ohio. All of these projects are within the scope of this investor. Call 818.305.4695 or email me and ask about your castle.

Have a better week !

Les

Berman’s Factoids of the Week

More  fromThe Washington Post  and the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.
Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.

Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absent-mindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.

 

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Les Berman CMC Real Estate Loan Specialist         NMLS ID 227675 Voice: 818.305.4695 Email: les@lesberman.com