There is a Russian joke that I like, and that bears upon the global economy. It goes like this:
Ivan sees his friend, Dmitri, fall into an old well. Ivan runs up to the rim of the well and calls down, “Oh my God, Dmitri, can you hear me!” “Yes,” says Dmitri, “I can hear you.” “And are you bleeding? Have you broken any bones?” “No, I’m not bleeding, and I don’t think I’ve broken any bones.” “And the bottom of the well—what’s down there?” “I can’t actually say,” says Dmitri, “I’m still falling.”
Prometheus Unbound 