Rather Then Let It Crumble, Take It Down Brick By Brick

Rather Then Let It Crumble, Take It Down Brick By Brick

These days it is hard to look at the news without feeling daunted, dismayed, or disgusted.  Most stories, particularly anything involving financial services, cause us to feel all three.  I have been rendered inert by the preponderance of bad news flooding our society.  Revelations of corruption, extortion, and moral ambiguity by what were once seen as conservative pillars of responsibility have become so extensive that it is hard to know where to start.  Yet it is therefore a time when it has become more important than ever to be engaged and voice opinions.  Otherwise these travesties will continue on, and in greater number than they already have.  That is the lesson learned from the fleeting outrage brought by the collapse of Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom earlier this decade.  After only 5 years, we have been besieged by the complete pollution of the American finance, auto, and insurance industries.  Corruption is inherent in mankind and therefore eternal, but it can be tempered by an active society.  Technology has enabled us to find more forums, this blog being an example, but it has also allowed us to withdraw further into isolation with ipods, blackberries, and cell phones.  With multiple outlets, it is increasingly difficult to find a wide audience.  Major media outlets are all controlled by large corporations and have their own agendas, and when a comedian like Jon Stewart provides the loudest voice for journalistic integrity it is clear we are living in a state of decay.  But rather than succumb to the pollution that surrounds us we should root it out, reconstruct, and build anew.  This is an unprecedented time that requires renewed and profound vigilance.  All is not lost, there is still positive to be found, Jon Stewart being an example.  His frustration should inspire greater concert to us all to speak up and become involved.  Let the outcry shake out the corrupt in our government and our industries.  Let them hear from us on the streets and in our offices, as well as on the web.  This November marked a major step for change in our political system, but necessary work ahead will not be done solely by who in office.  We have to remain engaged for anything positive to take shape.  Prosperity will not be delivered, it is up to us to create it.

Sheltered

How depressing is this?  An article on joblessness imposing hibernation on singles, who cannot afford to date.

(Story, Can’t Buy Me Love http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/articles/2009/01/24/cant_buy_me_love/)

Yes, dating is expensive.  And I will not make light of someone who watches each and every dollar and chooses to refrain from going out.  But I do not like the psychology within the article that suggests an unemployed person is unworthy.  That is a distorted and unnecessary view.  Certainly I can understand the frustration of unemployment, I have been there and, who knows, perhaps soon I will be there again.  But we are supposed to know who we are.  Our job is not our identity.  Very few people in this world love their jobs, those who do are blessed and in the minority.  A loss of income and occupation can certainly institute a lack of purpose, but we need to rise above that and be who we are beyond our occupations.  If you exercise, perhaps you go to a gym or attend fitness classes, you can meet people there.  If you are a reader you may go to a library, you can meet people there.  If you drink coffee you may go to a coffee shop, you can meet people there.  If you want to meet someone and don’t have money, get involved with a cause and volunteer.  We need to be open to meeting people at any time. It is difficult, daunting, and overwhelming, but we need to try to rise above that.  We cannot be consumed by worthlessness, and being without a job does not make you less of person.  Certainly it may feel that way, and some may treat you that way, but those who do are worthless themselves.  Be true to yourself and understand that your job does not define you.  A lack of income may limit your lifestyle, but does not limit your value.  Open your mind and embrace the world, there is no cost for imagination.

Money is not an indicator of value.  Yes, we all want more money, I do too. But look at the greed that is taking our country down into a death spiral.  People like John Thain, Jeffrey Skilling, Dennis Kozlowski, Bernie Madoff, who have choked the incomes of millions by pursuing their own relentless avarice.  For each one of those deplorable men, there are hundreds arround them, approving their salaries and bonuses, or working for them and straining to reach their level.  That is why our industries are drying up, because they infected with a staggering gluttony of greed that has permeated all levels of our society.  This corruption has become our corruptor.  We need to set ourselves free.

And just for measure, some personal experience.  I have had the pleasure of being dumped by my girlfriend of three years while unemployed.  At a time when I needed support, she walked out the door never to return.  I was heartbroken and devastated.  It took me a significant amount of time to rise out of that depression, but I did rise out of it; before I had another job or another girlfriend.  As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  In that experience, I learned more about my own value and my ex-paramour’s lack thereof.  The love I had believed in was largely an illusion.  Certainly not at the beginning but, on her end, well before my job disappeared.  Illusion, delusion.  That is something we need to learn through each and every relationship, as well as the time between.

Ultimately we need to know who we, ourselves, are.  That is the true path to happiness.  Togetherness can be an illusion.  You can be with someone without really sharing anything true.  And some may choose that over being alone, but that is more of an avoidance of self discovery and understanding.  Just as we should not define ourselves by our jobs, we should not define ourselves by being in a couple versus being single.  There are a great number of unhappy couples out there, which is easy to forget when you are not with someone.  But do not nurse your wishes, because simply finding “someone” does not create happiness.  It is finding the right one. And that cannot happen until you know who you are, which can take a lifetime.  It has for me.