Some days are so filled with negative news that they just bring me down. First, I must say that I am a realist. I'm not the type of person that sees the world through rose-colored glasses. I usually try to find the positive in a negative situation or keep a positive attitude, but I can SEE the reality of things...usually.
Lately, (and this goes in brief spurts) I hear so much about the economy and the recession and about how people are hurting so badly financially that sometimes it gets to me and I start to focus on my family's own financial situation. The truth is, I think it totally stinks that because I worked hard through high school, got good grades and held several jobs and saved money for college, I didn't qualify for any aid other than loans. I know there are so many others in the same boat. I think it totally stinks that if I had gotten pregnant while in high school, I could have gone to college for FREE! I'm all for helping people rectify a poor choice, but I think it's equally important to reward those who make wise choices too.
Anyway, on to the point of this little story. The bottom line is that, despite what the news says, we are not truly hurting. We are not "broken" financially. Yes, our country is financially broken and needs to get oh...I don't know...a budget like the rest of the responsible American citizens! But this "recession" that is the worst since the Great Depression really has no business being compared to the Great Depression! The reality check here is that we (as Americans in general) have no idea what it even means to hurt financially! Talk to someone who lived during the Great Depression and they'll tell you that all the whining we do these days is not only illegitimate, but it also minimizes the suffering people actually went through.
My children sometimes say, "Mom, I'm starving!" And I say, "No you're not and you have just minimized the suffering of the children around the world who really are starving." They are very careful about saying, "I'm hungry," instead.
I was visiting with my mom tonight about this and she told me something my great aunt said. "People now don't have any idea how to deal with life's circumstances because it is expected that life be easy." She went on to tell my mom about what life was like for her when her husband was in the army overseas. She said, "I know that life is difficult when your husband is in the service, but people now have Skype and cell phones and e-mail and all sorts of ways to maintain some sort of contact with their husbands. When my husband was in the service, I didn't know where he was, if he was alive or dead. I didn't hear from him for months at a time. Our baby died while he was gone and I didn't even have a way to tell him."
Think about that. Think about how good we really have it. We are in the worst recession since the Great Depression and somehow I still have to get a beeper when I go to a restaurant to eat because it's packed. And don't even get me started on the recent billions of dollars Americans spent on lottery tickets! I think we ALL need a reality check!
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