Step 1: Panic

I haven't thrown up a music post this week because I haven't listened to any music.

Instead of enjoying -- or not -- albums by the Lemonheads, Let's Active, and the Lightning Seeds, I've been spending my workdays listening to NPR, BBC World News, and, in very small doses, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The world's financial markets are in full meltdown mode, and I am morbidly fascinated.

I am not heavily invested in stocks, and I couldn't cash out my IRA without losing nearly all the principal anyway, but I've been obsessed with all the reports about what has been happening on the world's stock exchanges, among banks and insurers, and with investment houses because it's like watching every train on earth crash at the same time.

As you all know, nothing any government or private individual has done so far has helped avert what seems like certain disaster. I couldn't even begin to do justice to recapping the bad news, but if you find yourself as interested as I am, my advice is to hook into the BBC newsfeed. For some reason, Armageddon sounds less scary when it's being described in Etonian accents.

And just like I can't explain what has occurred, I have no idea how to fix the core problem. What I can offer, however, is an excellent idea for a first step toward finding a resolution.

Panic.

I don't mean "panic and sell all your stocks" or "panickedly pass legislation." I mean have yourself a full-on, screaming with arms your flung to the heavens and running around in circles panic. Yell, cry, and curse whichever God you embrace. Do some random destruction.

Then catch your breath, clean up a little bit, and start focusing on solutions.

As near as I can tell, the reason that most serious long-term problems don't get resolved is because people panic last.

Panic should always be the first option when immediate action is not required. While panicking is obviously unhelpful when you have a real or proverbial gun pointed at your head, when the schedule allows, engaging in a good fear-fueled tantrum can clear the mind wonderfully. A clear mind is an important thing to have when it's time to begin making the hard decisions. It does no one any good to see the solution after the absolute worst has happened.

I hope the presidents, prime ministers, and finance ministers meeting in Washington, D.C. this weekend have at least most of one morning cleared for a primal scream session.