Hope and Change?
So exactly what happened? It wasn't what? 2 weeks ago or so when the United States was virtually solidified (well that's probably too strong a phrase) in a hopeful future. One that's sure to be tough but with cooperation and confidence can be overcome. But these days I just feel like there's no point.
Not to get too political but watching the news is basically a nightmare. Every day all I see are dozens of people who are doing their absolute best to explain to me how every decision Barack Obama has made since taking office is as good as signing America's death certificate. It doesn't matter what channel. Almost everyone is in agreement that at the very least, the current economic plan is at best a very temporary measure made mostly out of pure desperation. Every news show (even the comedy ones) are now littered with armchair economists and every "expert" known to man with numbers, charts, graphs, and examples as to how we're on the road to ruin. What makes it kind of funny (if it weren't so sad) is that almost every one of them has what almost amounts to a "sure-fire" solution to our economic woes. Gee. If it were that simple, you'd think they'd all decide on one and save us from ourselves (much like Barack Obama was supposed to do).
But it's not just a matter of shaking our poor fist at the rich fatcats who squabble over whose fault it is while they still manage to line their pockets. That's been happening for almost as long as man has walked the Earth. It's one of those situations where you never realize just how bad things are for people until they "hit home" so to speak. In order to deal with deep budget cuts and the "economic downturn" my place of employment recently (as in today) had to announce that they are terminating basically every student worker currently employed. And they have exactly two weeks to get their business in order. Of course there were some sniffles and tears and while there wasn't a whole lot of hysterics of that nature there was definitely an obvious sense of complete depression. Mainly because this wasn't seen as a necessary measure and people were told that their jobs were safe. At least until the end of the fiscal year. Well.......things change.
It affects those who are out of a job (and who is hiring in this economic climate?) and those of us who are still employed have to pick up the slack for those missing workers. I fully expect to have to pull some double duty in the mail room in the upcoming months to help out the ladies I work near who had workers to sort mail, carry heavy packages, etc.
And I feel miserable for all those people who suddenly live the nightmare of being "downsized" while watching people on television who have no problem making ends meet even in this economic situation telling me how it's not their fault and if people just listened to them that everything would be okay.
I feel terrible for friends who aren't out of a job but are certainly hurt by this situation as they have problems making ends meet and it tears me up inside that I'm all but totally useless to them in helping them in their time of need. I know if I had the "answer" that all these people on television claim to have I'd fight tooth and nail to get it working so I could help those people that need to be helped. But I have to be content in knowing that it's not their fault people are out of work.
As I often tell myself, I'm not all things to all people and I shouldn't feel the least bit "personally" responsible for anything. Nothing I could do about it. Nothing anyone could do really. But I just want to help. You know what? That's not even right. I just don't want to feel completely useless to everyone I care about. I don't want to be an afterthought. I want to matter to them as much as they matter to me, whatever that entails. And seeing those grinning jackals on television telling me that they feel the same way?
It's so hard to understand sometimes. Why can people be so terrible? So facetious?
One must remember that people should live their lives for the good people out there. Not everyone is like them. Even those who may not necessarily WANT to do bad things yet still do them. You can't focus on those people. But every day in the face of this global "death spiral" as people on television like to put it, it gets a little bit harder.
No one should listen to me. I hate depressing others. They deserve to have a fun-filled life with joy and excitement. If I have to be bitter and miserable for the rest of my life, I'd much rather not wreck anyone else's life while they worry about me being all depressed.