| | That Thing You Call 'Prosperity?'
Sometimes We Call That 'Spoiled.'
So our economy is in a slump. Gas prices are soaring. Oh, woe is us.
How sad that we now are forced to cast a hard look at our spending, "trimming the fat" in order to consider saving money. How unfortunate that our price of gas has almost risen to half the cost in Europe, so that we must now second-guess our decision to drive a vehicle every time we need to be more than 20 yards away from home. How tragic that, in America, it is no longer acceptable for someone with "a long driveway" to fire up the SUV in order to retrieve the contents of his own mailbox.
We, as a nation, have gotten fat, and I mean that as much figuratively as literally. You know why? Because we've had it good. Sure, our parents knew what it was like to go through rough times; they lived and worked through the 1970's. (Which was already the good life compared to their parents who experienced the Great Depression.) But things kept getting better, and you and I grew up in an age of prosperity. I'm not saying we got everything we wanted; I heard "we can't afford that" as much as the next kid. But ultimately, the sun shone brightly on the US of A and that was just fine with us. We don't know how good we had it.
Well now the tables are turning and, shockingly, people are actually learning some responsibility. I was proud to learn that even in the Midwest, people are apparently getting the memo re: SUV's are dead. What's next, a widespread knowledge of hypermiling?
Hey, look, I'm sorry fast food chains aren't doing so well right now. I'm sorry Starbucks is hurting and fewer people are attending professional sporting events. I know those things are all valid parts of our economy. But when you step back and look at the big picture, maybe it's okay that we're learning to cut out things that can be unhealthy for more than just our wallets. Maybe professional athletes can learn to scrape by on fewer millions of dollars. And if more people are skipping McDonalds in favor of cooking at home, maybe one of the dozen McDonaldses in your town will close down and a grocery store with local produce will open in its stead.
Perhaps the craziest thing is that when people are forced to reevaluate one aspect of their lives, they will occasionally improve other areas as well. People who have been "forced" to start walking or biking rather than driving might discover that they actually enjoy the activity and appreciate the extra energy it gives them. And shedding those few extra pounds may actually improve their self-esteem. People who are now "forced" to examine their budget and cut out the purchase of non-essential luxury items just might discover that getting those credit cards paid off feels pretty good and lends them a general feeling of well-being they've never known.
I'm not saying things are great. I'm not saying it'll be easy. But being compelled to pay attention to the consequences of our actions just might turn out to be what this country needed. Sometimes the going has to get tough, you dig?
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| | Posted 6/19/2008 6:47 PM - 131 Views - 10 eProps - 8 comments
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