The relentless drumbeat about how bad things are these days has taken root in the national consciousness, like everybody having the same bad song stuck in their head.
Which is not to say that many people haven’t experienced hard times. Obviously they have. The people who have lost jobs and retirement savings, the families that teeter on the edge of poverty, the myriad with and without health insurance who can’t afford medical care.
But it’s easy for everyone to get caught up in the “economic hard times” rhetoric because it is so prevalent in our 24/7 “breaking news” culture. The mantra never stops and suddenly it seems everyone is in financial trouble. Despite evidence to the contrary. Perhaps it’s hard to admit that we are doing OK (or way more than OK) when many others are not. But for the sake of reality, we have to acknowledge that choosing to cut back on this or that indulgence is not a hardship. It’s important to distinguish between wants and needs.
In the not-so-distant past, corporate CEOs redefined debauchery by hosting parties for themselves (among other things) that cost more money than most people will make in a lifetime. During those heady times, which included the bizarre notion that housing prices would rocket into infinity, it’s understandable that the non-CEOs of the world wanted to share in the good times, too. Compared to CEO excess, it hardly seemed greedy to simply want a new car every year, every new electronic gadget that comes along and a big, new house to put them in.
But as cultural and economic tides would have it, we finally hit the excess ceiling. Which is a good thing.
Being mindful of our good fortune, even in the midst of struggles, of course is what Thanksgiving is all about. We are so richly blessed in this country, in so many ways, but sometimes we forget. Sometimes we jump on that entitlement bandwagon. Sometimes we don’t see the real suffering here at home and across the world. War, oppression, devastating poverty and cruelty, it’s all out there, unimaginable to so many of us. We don’t live in a vacuum, we share this planet. And we are really lucky to be where we are and who we are.
Reaching out to others less fortunate is a good way to keep perspective. Giving your time and attention is a great, immeasurable gift. Emotional poverty and loneliness are likely the bigger hardships many around us bear these days. Be kind and be thankful, to excess.
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