At this moment I”m siting on the floor of a concrete warehouse writing thru a wifi adapter. Just having moved back to America (Eastern Nashville) – from Eastern Europe- I”m finding disturbing cultural similarities that may be a sign of our distressed economic times.
People scrounging for every penny with no regard to buying quality- “Just give me the cheapest…whatever…”
Dogs don’t get designer “dog food’ anymore. Poor Fido has to eat leftover pasta becuase we had to spend the money on 4 childrens school lunches and tonights hamburger helper.
People don’t want to help you because they would have to drive- and driving means using up their gas. Heaven help us.
Support groups have replaced family responsibility and togetherness. We now look for similarities in those around us. Alzheimers groups, bikers club, phobias anonymous, internet addiction societies, homeless inc. couch surfers, immigrants vs non- immigrants, etc. It seems that if you don’thave a group, then you’re in a boat without a paddle. I am currently groupless- unless you count autoless as a group.
If you don’t have a cell phone you”re like a man without a country. You don’t exist. Period. (There’s another group I can identify with- cell phone-less.)
So I’m wondering.. Is this shift in society due to the fact that ” times are rough?” Or are they due to the fact that the media has convinced us all to believe that “times are rough”?
What does the average American fear? Terrorism? I think not, but we fear losing our jobs, our house, our autos, and our credit rating.
When people operate in fear, they rely on the government to give them security. And the government is glad to do this for us with new regulations, rules, and .new ways of dependency………but not much in the way of meat and potatoes support.
There are times in all our lives when we are afraid. But in that thin thread of humanity-a tenacious spirit remains. We can’t afford to lose what is compassionate, what is vital to our connectedness as a species. What is our benefit if every man is for himself? Why can’t we just hold on to one another and block out what the media is trying to feed us as reality.
I know tomorrow is another day. A new chance. I also know that I am a survivor. So are you. For the moment – till we really feel secure in ourselves to not listen to hype and naysayers in our economy—its best to walk softly, carry a big stick and maybe a pit bull would help.
