Tell me about your childhood....

No doubt about it....we are depressed...bombarded with a 24 hour news cycle that reminds us, continually, that our houses aren’t worth anything, our retirement plans have shriveled up, and we are making plans to spend our grandchildren’s money just so we can avoid another Great Depression. If it’s so great, how come I feel so lousy?

If you are like me (and since I am so egocentric, I’ll just assume that you are), you are in your late 40’s and have gotten by pretty much unscathed by the cold realities of life on this planet. I am far too young to have served in World War II, and I even missed Vietnam by a few years. I never even had to register for the draft, and though we grew up with the threat of a nuclear holocaust, it always seemed far away, except of course when Reagan got elected. We were too old for the Gulf War, and if we were lucky enough to buy a house, it has appreciated irrationally and provided us with ready cash so we could buy new cars every three years, send our kids to private schools and live lives our grandparents could simply not understand (and likely would not approve of). In summary, we had it pretty good. That, however, appears to have changed, and I wonder how well equipped we will be for survival in the 21st century.

I assume we will learn how to get along without twice daily Double Cappuccinos and weekly pedicures. Most of us will be able to shrug off missing heirloom tomatoes and $150 tennis shoes with the word “Coach” printed all over them. But what about simpler things? What happens if we go to the kitchen sink and there is no water in the faucet. What happens when the price of a gallon of milk is more than we can afford. What if there is no chicken in the pot? Has our past prepared us well for a future that might feature a global financial crisis, a water shortage (at least in the Western US), and a climate crippled by our emissions of carbon dioxide, to say nothing of war, nuclear proliferation, and the rise of terrorism. Any one of these problems is daunting all by itself, but what about the real possibility that we might have to deal with all of them at once?

Perhaps it is simply because it is in the distant past, and we know how the story ended, but it is amazing how well our ancestors dealt with the first Great Depression. They were tough....they stood up against the Nazis, and sacrificed a great deal so that generations like ours could live in a nation of plenty (for the vast majority of us). Maybe if we had a few hard knocks earlier, we’d be better able to weather this storm. Maybe if we spent less and saved more...bought less on credit, opted to do without the latest cell phone, or SUV. Would we be able to live in 2 bedroom houses after living in 4,000 square foot McMansions? On a more basic level, could we grow our own food, cut our own firewood or mend our own fences? Are we well equipped, or simply equipped well?

Happy Endings?

There was a feeling that every high school student can relate to...that moment when the bell rings on the last day of school before summer vacation. All the pages in the notebook can be safely discarded, pens can be left uncapped and pencils can remain unsharpened. All the assignments that were left undone, or under done, were rendered completely unimportant with one last tick of the clock.

As the clock struck noon today, George Bush has tossed his notebook in the air, and left the papers to flutter down with no rhyme nor reason, the pages left for someone else to pick up, perhaps reassemble, or maybe to simply discard. For our 43rd president, he gets an exit with full honors bestowed upon our commanders in chief, popular or not. He can clear brush or sip lemonade from the hammock in the back yard while others try to sift through the scattered remains of his tenure in office and try to salvage what is worth saving, while noting what needs repairing. It will be a tedious process, and it might take half of President Obama’s first term just to make sense of it all.

He can count himself lucky. His “work” is done, and for the most part, he will not be held to account for the damage he has wrought on our nation, and its standing in the world. If one needs reminders of his popularity, how about being booed at the inauguration, or being serenaded to “Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey Hey Goodbye”. Ouch. Or how about the striking pose captured on film as the new inhabitants of the White House waved to the departing helicopter? “....have fun storming the castle!” One can only wonder what George and Laura Bush talked about as they returned to their Texas compound...I am sure the last few weeks have been filled with opportunity for reflection, so this was likely more of an exhale. The weight of the world, quite literally lifted from their backs, as they began the rapturous climb skyward in the military helicopter.

Former Presidents face the new burden of using their status for some good around the world. Jimmy Carter was perhaps one of the most effective ex-Presidents, despite his status as a mediocre chief executive. The elder President Bush, along with Bill Clinton teamed up in a true odd couple sort of way to raise funds on behalf of those impacted by the tsunami in Sri Lanka and Hurricane Katrina. I am hopeful that the younger President Bush finds some cause that will allow him to improve his legacy which at present seems sort of disheveled. However, I will not be surprised if he opts to simply ride off into the sunset. As the inauguration of President Obama grew near, President Bush became a sort of tragic figure...misunderstood, at least in his mind, unloved, and unwanted. They ironically rolled Vice President Cheney out in a wheel chair....they could no longer even limp out of town. As a nation, we take just a moment to wave goodbye. We cannot spare a lot of time, for there is much to do, and not a minute to waste.