The other day, I was really sitting down and thinking. I was playing with one of the kids and a wave of happiness-slash-sadness just splashed down on me. It was weird.
I was thinking of my own plight. You probably didn’t notice, but I haven’t written in the last couple of weeks. Life has delivered blow after blow, an apparent attempt to break my spirit. I’m no punk. I’ve been through my share of strife, and more importantly, am always down for the necessary, worthy struggle.
Then, it hit me like a ton of cinderblocks.
I took a brief inventory on all of my close friends and family and I came to a startling realization. Every single person close to me is struggling in some way or another. And when I say struggle, I mean, our way of life or ability to strive is in jeopardy. Struggle is nothing new, but this is different. This wrestling match with life is not limited to the seasoned adult, but even teens and recent college grads. Just about everybody!
Most of us have issues surrounding money, as is the case with Americans in a general sense. And for goodness sake, lets not forget those of us that are seemingly permanently disenfranchised as a people. All of this is in perspective. Still, pinching pennies is a regular happening, but it has gotten maddening the ways we are attempting to stretch a dollar with no elasticity. Pinching pennies…til Abe Lincoln gets bruises…
Also, not surprisingly, relationships around me are reaching their breaking point. I have friends that were in long-term relationships and those relationships are crumbling under the weight of the stress. According to my friends, there are other issues and I am sure there are, but more relationships end due to money.
In that regard, I don’t worry to much. OK, I’m lying. I do worry a lot, but I am working on that. There is a quote that goes, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” There are things that I am working towards – that we are working towards – that are not going to come to life right now. But, as is always the case, we survive, because we are resilient by nature. I mean, think of the last time you went through some real MESS. When you were living it, it was the worst thing and a few years after it, you were probably proud of your ability to make it through. Sometimes we even affectionately recall our battles and brag about the scars. And, more importantly, you probably learned a lesson.
Collectively, I am not sure that we are learning a lot of lessons. Americans seem to ignore signs along the road and wonder why we plunge off a cliff. Usually, there are warning signs all along the trip. Are Americans approaching a cliff? It sure seems so, but perhaps we caught that last sign just in time. The America that we know is definitely a thing of the past. But that isn’t going to stop us, is it? Or is it? Nah…
I don’t know if Suzie Orman can help me now, but I am going to keep watching her and reading other financial authors for the wisdom to protect mine. I am also going to stay abreast of the Amero and all the other conspiracy theories as well. I laugh at my friends that “curse” Obama as if we didn’t know little would change even under his reign.
I’ve never looked at Obama as anything more than an inspirational figure for me and mine. Other than that, I’m making the most concerted effort to pull myself out of the struggle. But, we all know it doesn’t stop and this time next year, should things stabilize, most of us will be in some other difficulties.
An then my focus came back to my kid there, just playing without a care in the world…unaware of my un-docked stress. Man, there are choices and there are other times when you have no choice.
We’ll work it out.
Good Guy aka EveryMan is a columnist on AllHipHop.com and his
columns appear every Thursday or when he sends them over. Of course his
views are not necessarily that of AllHipHop.com, but we don’t hate
Drake either.
