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10/18/11

America's Biggest Concern

Is not economic depression but a psychological one...

No fear, no defeatism, no going backwards.

Personally I think political, education, corporate and financial institution leaders want to keep the populace off balance as a method of control. They view the despair and anger that fuels different corners ranging from the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street demonstrators as silly little distractions to keep the masses occupied with infighting. People need to wake up and channel their energies into a more proactive plan of action. The first place to start is with you. It behooves us to take stock of what we have or don't, what we owe and what we don't, own up to the mistakes we may have made with money and constructively deal with it. However you do it, whether it is liquidate everything and repudiate debt, give up the escapism of consumerism, complex relationships, drugs and alcohol and own up to who you really are and embrace a self image as a strong individual. The road to mutual help is laid by being a powerful person that can help themselves so they may help others. It is a matter of survival and will; individuals must fight to keep their inner fire burning and continue moving forward.


To stop is to risk never getting started again and I refuse to do that although it is a battle within at times. Personally it makes no sense for me to get mad at behemoth institutions I have no control over. If your temperament is to get involved and shake down the windows and rattle the walls then doing it as an ant on a hill of thousands doesn't do much for you personally. It is why the large power brokers prefer it.

Far better to note Tip O'Neill's observation that "All politics is local" as far more useful since getting involved locally empowers you as an individual that effects change. Everyone is different in goals. What is my "local" thing? During general election years I work for the County Elections Board running precincts as a non-partisan Inspector. Work for the local political party, any local organization to make change. There's plenty unattended situations needing help, leaders and an answer.

Do anything but stand still doing nothing or moving around making a lot of noise with little result for the effort. Our biggest concern as a country isn't just an economic one. It is an economic depression that leads to a psychological one because people fall into the trap of feeling like failures. They believe they failed because they screwed up their finances, education, income, career or wasted time on banging the drum at the bank, the school or employers to no avail. They mistakenly escaped into complex relationships, sexual arrangements or drugs and alcohol. Even if you have fallen into trapdoors there is always some way out but it is rarely easy and takes effort.

This does take work though. Personal hard work, one foot in front of the other with times that every step of progress is painfully bought. There is also satisfaction that you are moving forward going somewhere rather than running from something. Run towards the light away from fear. The biggest fear most people have is living in a weekly motel collecting change for food and splitting their blood pressure pills. That fear will carry you there as a self-fulfilling prophecy if you take it to its ultimate end. Conversely being optimistic, working at moving forward, putting effort toward reaching light is a foregone conclusion of destiny. Refuse to allow the government, financial institutions, consumerism, corporations, marketing, political class to force you into a life of submission and manipulation you don't want. In doing so you become a strong individual of character that as a consequence will be supported by others and surrounded by people you can influence to make real change occur.

2 comments:

  1. Everything you say here is right, at least in my experience. I think it's fine to let off some steam and "pull the bowstring back" once in a while but it can't be a regular thing or else it becomes much worse than a temporary break.

    I have taken to looking for work at companies that aren't even advertising for help. It seems counter to any sense but I figure that maybe if my belief that a lot of companies "seeking help" are just trolling for names on applications, then maybe the contrary method of job-seeking could be the way to go...I grant you that I have only had this idea for the last couple days and that it hasn't paid amazing dividends yet but it has been interesting. It takes the whole job-search downer (and for me, anyway, it isn't pleasant) and turns it into a chance to build my abilities to "sell myself" (I hate that phrase, but it fits here) and offers the chance of a really good surprise. It's also a lot easier to accept rejection when you had no reason to assume there'd be acceptance...and yet it offers the chance that something great might happen. I'm still searching in the usual ways, but I see benefits in shaking things up a little and knocking on doors which don't seem to be begging for my knock. If it's only a confidence boost, well, that's a very good thing sometimes.

    Stay positive, know you're not alone, know that every effort you make is a step toward where you want to be, and take short breaks sometimes but never give up...I would say that's my advice to myself (and everyone else who needs it). You said it better, JR.

    Thank you for the post!

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  2. You know I wanted to comment on your vlog about job hunting and what you had just experienced with it. What I want to say can be summed up fairly nicely.

    I have never found a job the traditional way but only by nontraditional routes. I never got a job that I approached non-traditionally either but I every job I have gotten was through the non-traditional approach (such as you are suggesting) and being referred to someone who did hire me. I hope that makes sense.

    Thanks for your greatly appreciated comment on the way I expressed about feeling positive. Hang in there Mike.

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