News
Opinion
ENLARGE
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kind of tired of talking about the economy.
Now that we have literally hundreds of TV channels and radio stations at our fingertips, our national conversations haven’t been as unified as they were even just 20 years ago. The proliferation of media outlets both off and online has led to a dilution of the cultural environment. “American Idol” may be the only really common pop culture reference most of us have, and I don’t even watch the show.
Thank goodness for the recession, huh? At least now we all have SOMETHING in common.
At Cups Coffee House, the charming café on 12th Street operated by Hospice and Palliative Care, the conversations I overhear among many of the senior patrons inevitably turn to the downturn in the markets and how it’s affected their finances. I’ve heard more than one person moan, “Oh, don’t talk to me about the markets,” before proceeding to dissect every single gyration of the Nasdaq or Dow Jones.
At the Fruita Chamber of Commerce awards banquet at Two Rivers Convention Center on Saturday night, the talk at our table briefly veered toward the recession. We marveled at the dismal numbers thrown at us by media reports — 7.6 percent unemployment, 6.2 percent contraction, tens of thousands of layoffs, business investment down 21 percent — and the jarring contrast of seeing people still loading up their shopping carts with Wiis and flat-screen TVs at Best Buy. A guest told the story of her friend, who up until a few months ago had a steady, well-paying professional job, but is now waiting tables after being unceremoniously laid off.
In my own neighborhood in the northeast, the For Sale signs sprout like spring weeds in front yards up and down the street. A dear friend tells me of her family’s attempt to sell their $400k-plus home in this dismal market. After six months, they’re still waiting for a buyer.
And the sad tales just keep on coming.
We tell these stories with wide eyes and a hushed tone, our voices filled with relief that It’s Not Happening To Me, but it IS happening to someone, somewhere. Few of us are lucky enough not to be touched by this economic quagmire in some way, whether it’s a brother who just lost his job or a distant acquaintance who lost his home.
But for once, I would love to be able to put even just a brief moratorium on the endless chatter about the economy. Talking about it and sharing our tales of woe with friends help tremendously in relieving some of the emotional costs they extract, but it also feeds a cycle of helplessness and despair. There’s not much we can individually do about the GDP or business inventory numbers or even of the stock market, but we can certainly refuse to wallow in depression, economic or otherwise.
Think about it: Even with the current financial crisis, Americans still enjoy the highest standard of living in the world. The size of the average home is more than double what it was in the 1950s, even though the size of our families is smaller. We own an average of just over two cars per household. Most homes have at least one TV, and many have three or more. The median household income is over $52,000. In other words, we’re still doing better than nearly everyone else in the world. Individually we may struggle, but collectively we’re fat, well-fed, well-paid and sitting on the most productive economy the world has ever seen.
I do worry. My husband and I have credit card payments, our rent takes a big chunk of income, our utility bills don’t seem to be going down and we don’t really look at our retirement funds for fear of bursting into tears. But one thing that helps me feel richer than Midas is to remember the blessings we have relative to what, well, my relatives back home in the Philippines have. Or what kids in Africa, where my husband and I spent some time a few years ago, have. Or what many low-income kids — of which I was once one — here at home have.
Want to feel rich too? Donate money to the local food bank or homeless shelter. If not money, then head on over to Wal-Mart or Big Lots and pile up on some toys, canned goods and toiletries and donate them to any number of local organizations that are in desperate need of them. They need supplies and food year-round, not just at Christmas. Sponsor a child or two through organizations like the Christian Children’s Fund. It takes just $24 a month to make an enormous difference in a child’s life. (And yes, I’m a sponsor but am otherwise not affiliated or paid by CCF.) Volunteer to be a literacy tutor at the local library. Raise funds for United Way through your employer.
It’s so easy to forget about the good fortune we have when we’re surrounded by doomsday reports. There’s very little we can do to control what happens to the overall economy, but we still retain control over our emotions and our perspective. Reaching out and helping another is a good reminder of just how lucky we are and how generous the universe is to those who give to others.
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Marjorie R. Asturias is a freelance writer and weekly FP columnist living in Grand Junction. Reach her at marjorie.asturias@gmail.com.
Now that we have literally hundreds of TV channels and radio stations at our fingertips, our national conversations haven’t been as unified as they were even just 20 years ago. The proliferation of media outlets both off and online has led to a dilution of the cultural environment. “American Idol” may be the only really common pop culture reference most of us have, and I don’t even watch the show.
Thank goodness for the recession, huh? At least now we all have SOMETHING in common.
At Cups Coffee House, the charming café on 12th Street operated by Hospice and Palliative Care, the conversations I overhear among many of the senior patrons inevitably turn to the downturn in the markets and how it’s affected their finances. I’ve heard more than one person moan, “Oh, don’t talk to me about the markets,” before proceeding to dissect every single gyration of the Nasdaq or Dow Jones.
At the Fruita Chamber of Commerce awards banquet at Two Rivers Convention Center on Saturday night, the talk at our table briefly veered toward the recession. We marveled at the dismal numbers thrown at us by media reports — 7.6 percent unemployment, 6.2 percent contraction, tens of thousands of layoffs, business investment down 21 percent — and the jarring contrast of seeing people still loading up their shopping carts with Wiis and flat-screen TVs at Best Buy. A guest told the story of her friend, who up until a few months ago had a steady, well-paying professional job, but is now waiting tables after being unceremoniously laid off.
In my own neighborhood in the northeast, the For Sale signs sprout like spring weeds in front yards up and down the street. A dear friend tells me of her family’s attempt to sell their $400k-plus home in this dismal market. After six months, they’re still waiting for a buyer.
And the sad tales just keep on coming.
We tell these stories with wide eyes and a hushed tone, our voices filled with relief that It’s Not Happening To Me, but it IS happening to someone, somewhere. Few of us are lucky enough not to be touched by this economic quagmire in some way, whether it’s a brother who just lost his job or a distant acquaintance who lost his home.
But for once, I would love to be able to put even just a brief moratorium on the endless chatter about the economy. Talking about it and sharing our tales of woe with friends help tremendously in relieving some of the emotional costs they extract, but it also feeds a cycle of helplessness and despair. There’s not much we can individually do about the GDP or business inventory numbers or even of the stock market, but we can certainly refuse to wallow in depression, economic or otherwise.
Think about it: Even with the current financial crisis, Americans still enjoy the highest standard of living in the world. The size of the average home is more than double what it was in the 1950s, even though the size of our families is smaller. We own an average of just over two cars per household. Most homes have at least one TV, and many have three or more. The median household income is over $52,000. In other words, we’re still doing better than nearly everyone else in the world. Individually we may struggle, but collectively we’re fat, well-fed, well-paid and sitting on the most productive economy the world has ever seen.
I do worry. My husband and I have credit card payments, our rent takes a big chunk of income, our utility bills don’t seem to be going down and we don’t really look at our retirement funds for fear of bursting into tears. But one thing that helps me feel richer than Midas is to remember the blessings we have relative to what, well, my relatives back home in the Philippines have. Or what kids in Africa, where my husband and I spent some time a few years ago, have. Or what many low-income kids — of which I was once one — here at home have.
Want to feel rich too? Donate money to the local food bank or homeless shelter. If not money, then head on over to Wal-Mart or Big Lots and pile up on some toys, canned goods and toiletries and donate them to any number of local organizations that are in desperate need of them. They need supplies and food year-round, not just at Christmas. Sponsor a child or two through organizations like the Christian Children’s Fund. It takes just $24 a month to make an enormous difference in a child’s life. (And yes, I’m a sponsor but am otherwise not affiliated or paid by CCF.) Volunteer to be a literacy tutor at the local library. Raise funds for United Way through your employer.
It’s so easy to forget about the good fortune we have when we’re surrounded by doomsday reports. There’s very little we can do to control what happens to the overall economy, but we still retain control over our emotions and our perspective. Reaching out and helping another is a good reminder of just how lucky we are and how generous the universe is to those who give to others.
-----------------------------------
Marjorie R. Asturias is a freelance writer and weekly FP columnist living in Grand Junction. Reach her at marjorie.asturias@gmail.com.
