Sighs of the Times
I know very few folks who aren’t going through some variation of a rough patch right now. Step #1 in getting through it is acknowledging that the rough patch exists, so that there’s no further time wasted attempting to cling to a status quo that’s no longer there.
That said, the following items have cast a pall over LK’s world. Perhaps you’ll identify with some of them; no doubt you’ve got a list of your own. Feel free to send them in as comments or an e-mail.
1. I know a Rabbi and his wife who, from the descriptions I’ve read, have a similar gusto for life and helping others as did the Rabbi and family that was slain in Mumbai. The Rabbi I know left a high profile position in a wealthy area of the country in order to rebuild a congregation in New Orleans that had been decimated and scattered by Katrina. I’m sure that clergy from all denominations mourn the maniacal grounding out of exceptionally positive spirits.
2. Our past shortsightedness and denial towards the auto industry has painted us into a corner where we have no good choices. A bailout (and don’t insult me by calling it a “rescue package”) forestalls layoffs, the domino effect of additional corporate failures of companies that supply the mini-3, and potential civil unrest, as I’ve written about previously. It also takes my tax dollars and uses them in a way that would never be afforded to me, were I as irresponsible running my business as Detroit was running its. Which was into the ground.
On the other hand, no bailout opens a dark Pandora’s box of human suffering and possible tragedy.
3. Capitalism was always Darwinism with money. But the playing field, which was bumpy at best, now favors those who have accumulated so much that they can’t get knocked down a peg, while snapping enough rungs off the ladder to success that far fewer will be able to climb it. If you have kids, get them off screen activities that kill time and opportunity. Make believe you’re a member of an immigrant class (Irish and Italians of the early 1900’s, Jews of the 1940’s, Asians of the past few decades, to name a few) that considered it a privilege to bust their butts for 18 hours a day for the chance at improving their lot in life.
4. Family and friends have siblings and spouses in the hospital. In an ironic way, they’re lucky, in that they’ve got insurance that allows the best and the brightest to fully investigate and hopefully resolve the maladies that ail their loved ones. Unemployment’s rising, benefits for the employed are being cut. Emergency rooms are bursting at the seams.
We expect so many cakes, and expect to eat them too. And for many of us, a sacrifice means passing up a $4 cup of coffee. Time to reprioritize.
This is the tip of the iceberg. Sorry if I’m not Mr. Happy today. Part of resilience is facing up to, as opposed to sticking our heads in the sand in the face of, the challenges that lie before us. Good luck.
Time to make the doughnuts.
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My top reasons to ‘cheer up’ during the 2nd Great Depression:
1. In times of change, opportunity is born.
2. Adjustments and re-assessments are healthy, albeit sometimes painful to look at. Always needed.
3. At least we’re ‘in it together’.
4. Never before have we as individuals been able to move so easily as a group.
5. Foreign cars are way better anyway. Let’s re-tool for new technologies, and invest the American people in the eventual financial booms.
6. The banks will be so busy, we’ll be living, driving and sailing for free…….
7. It’s a nice day out, and I have food.
8. I am not in a Mumbai hospital room, infected.
9. We elected an innovative and progressive world leader, who is assembling a smart team to tackle these issues.
10. I can watch TV without commercials.
appreciate the above counterpoint. posting it on the main page. thanks. LK