The bad news is everywhere. The stock market leaps up and down bouncing along a never ending trough. Layoffs are forecast. The big three auto makers need billions to get through the next quarter. CNN trumpets the word depression seemingly for its shock value. After a while you cannot help but believe we are on a sinking ship in a perfect storm.
But, let’s keep things in perspective. You only need one job (or, least that applies to most of us). Our IRAs and 401Ks won’t be needed until years down the road— so the losses will be replaced with gains in the long run. The losses are on paper only.
Prices for consumer goods are cascading down—that flat panel HD TV can now be added to the family room. Gasoline just fell below $2.00 a gallon and may fall much lower. Housing is now affordable for many who were locked out. Interest rates are at the lowest level in decades. In USA we are blessed with abundant food, medical help, and educational resources.
My advice is simple. Turn off CNN. Stay off the internet news sites. Watch Seinfeld reruns instead. Read the funny pages and skip the headlines. Cherish your friends and family. Read a good book. There is no sense in letting this creeping malaise get the best of us. Don’t let it beat you.
I have yet to see a barrier so big that I could not walk around it and continue the journey.
John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2008 All rights reserved.
I agree. I think if the “higher ups” instilled a bit of confidence it’d probably have an impact. Like your other post with the mind being a barrier… the mind is a limitation here. People don’t spend because they think the economy is in the gutter and continuing on the decline. By instilling confidence in the economy people will have hope … something that comes prior to any turn around. Instead, hope will probably come when new statistics are released that show growth in the economy. And maybe I’m wrong and statistics are the only way to go provoke hope. Regardless, I’m curious to see the indicator that defines the turn around in the economy.
The power of the mob (like in Roman days) is great.
JBJ