Dutch desease

The curse of resources, or Dutch disease as it may apply to individuals. 

In the classic commercial sense when a country comes across a natural resource that is valuable and exportable it results in a net inflow of foreign exchange. This in a floating Forex market results in a strengthening of the local currency and the related decline in other exports as the product will with a stronger local currency appear too expensive to the outside world. The result of this in the short term is the decline of all exports and the collapse of all businesses that depended on exports. This impacts badly on the unemployment rate and results in the natural resource becoming the only product that ends up being exported. 

Long term effects. 

The thought that came to me was that this entire syndrome could be applied to an individual and the results could be predicted using the above model. 

If somebody chances on a steady stream of money. And the money flows inward with sufficient volume, one might find that all other avenues of income might dry up. 

If a person had some skillset or characteristic that made them super desirable to others they might begin to ignore the basics of hygiene or civility as they would be too inundated with attention to care about the silly little things that usually improve ones appeal. 

As the unusual skillset leads to greater and never-ending specialisation one would end up being defined by that skill set, and if one believes one's own publicity one could end up relying entirely upon that gift. 

In time all other areas of one's personality would atrophy leaving just a husk that is bundled around the one extraordinary gift. Then when age and entropy come knocking at the door one would find that the very thing that defined you could make you irrelevant.

The Curse of the Resources or Dutch Disease can infect individuals as well. 

M Parak. 

Sep 2019.