American’s May Face Another Depression
Back in the day, people were able to count on each other for help. You could ask your neighbors for sugar without having to worry whether or not you actually got sugar or a bag of poison. You could ask families to look out for your children without worrying whether they were sick maniacs. It was a different time back in 1929. Sure you had your share of crime, but maybe the government and its brainy ideas directly contributed to those offenses. Take the prohibition of alcohol for example. At one point, would you have major kingpins like Al Capone doing such illegal things if alcohol wasn’t declaired the illegal substance it was?
In many ways, our lives today are much easier than the lives of those people in the ’30s. This is not the dark ages, it’s the industrial or material age. We have motor vehicles with amazing gas mileage. We have computers to do a lot of jobs for us. Electricity helps to provide us with not only heat and the power to keep our lanterns going, but it also powers all that we use for entertainment. Our health has never been better. We have a greater knowledge of medicines and diseases. Where the average person during the depression lived to about 60 or less, people today of a good chance of living well past 90. But, picture losing all of it in a flash.
Are the citizens of this fair country capable of giving up our luxuries for poverty? You may scorn that “bum” on the corner, but could you honestly live like him or her? Take it from me, it takes a lot of courage to lose all that is precious to you and try to live happy. Try going without food, heat and the power to watch TV for two months, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
We are taking advantage of our luxuries so much in this life, we don’t seem to have the capacity to stop, turn, look around, and consider the possibility what might we do if we lost that. People object to our gas prices, but still they go out there and pay our fine government its oil money. We have debates over what makes a good movie, theatre performance, TV show, music video or song, but we don’t appreciate having them. Imagine living without any of those things. Imagine never being able to see another Michael Jackson video – pretty sweet, aye? Well, imagine never being able to experience another Steven Spielberg masterpiece, watch another American Idol or bear witness to the one music video that transcends all others, and you might begin to understand what kind of hell I’m talking about.
All in all, don’t take advantage of the luxuries provided by our government and the money you’ve earned. Don’t lose sight of what’s most valuable to you. You and your family comes before all else. If you don’t have TV or movies or music to entertain you, who do you think is going to be there to make you laugh or smile? Don’t blind yourself to the possiblities so much that you’re blind-sighted when that great ball falls and you’re left with nothing. But, above all else, appreciate what you’ve got. It’s not the newest technology in TV, DVD or audio equipment that should make your day. If you’re lucky enough to actually be able to eat, you’ve got a life. As your grandmother or great grandmother once said, “there are starving people in China”.
