“What keeps you up at night?” said the newsman to the guest. The guest didn’t answer it. I suppose the guest was a politician. I answered it. “Wealth inequality,” I said aloud. After all, it is why the Roman Empire fell, right? And as I write this, I’ll add income inequality to it. Ultimately, that is supposed to be the way one acquires wealth, right? By earning income. And the wealth inequality horses are already out of the barn.
DH reminds me regularly of the Harvard Business school students who refused to sign the ethics pledge. I believe they were of my generation. The double-digit inflation of the 70s-80s taught my HS graduating class it was every man for themselves, and that’s how we’ve behaved economically throughout our lives. Remember yuppies? There was a reason for that. Just as we were coming of age to earn our way and pay the bills, we saw rents double and triple, and food and others essentials do the same.
I attribute the lack of ‘in touch’ ethical and knowledgeable public servants and leaders in my generation to those economics. We average Joes and Janes could not afford to serve; we knew we would have to scrap to just keep getting food and shelter. Especially with the elimination of regular minimum wage raises to honor the dignity of working. Those who were left to serve publicly were-are rich and-or ethically dubious and-or with an agenda (theocracy, anyone?)
Sigh. I feel like I’ve played by the rules my whole life and still not done enough - DH having to retire early with the reduced social security benefit and a finite retirement account, and now with what I perceive to be the kids’ financial jeopardy of buying a house with limited income - the retirement I’d hoped for may be out of reach. So I’ll go to the doctor and try to keep fit and well enough to keep working at my good job, with ‘invisible’ monies (retirement contributions, health care subsidies) dong their part to provide the best future and end of life scenarios I can manage.
Of course there are other reasons my generation lacks leaders. Even as I put this out there, I wonder if I have the fortitude for sustained discussion of it. I know I have the capacity to learn, grow, and change from other perspectives, so I welcome them. But I certainly don’t have the extroversion and energy needed to deal with the constant peopling of leadership! I am grateful for those who have those skills and are using them to benefit the most people possible. May their work bear good fruit for all.
You knew I'd have to come look, right? Because we've actually touched on this topic in our walk-talks. I probably shared that one of my own personal deep fears, with no basis at all, is a fear of poverty. As I age, the fear of becoming a burden (grandma's fear) seeps in to add texture to the nightmares. Mostly, though, I feel that I've lived a full life, and my fears translate to the next generation and of course to society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI can shrug off society as a whole in some ways as a problem bigger than something I can solve on my own. But the issues of a society do impact us as individuals, and they impact our immediate offspring, our grandchildren (if any), and onward. Most of my own sleepless nights relate to health and safety of my family and loved ones, and then extend beyond, like ripples in a pond.
If one has an ounce of compassion, one recognizes that "I'm no better than anyone else, and they all have the same kinds of worries that I do, and many of them do not share the kinds of resources that I have." I don't have the kind of wealth that can fund charitable foundations, or be split into life-changing contributions to dozens of people. But I am well aware that I am better off than many. I recognize that the reason I am has to do with both my own actions AND decisions not my own.
I don't pretend to have answers. I observe that when you know you are in a position of privilege, the issue of what you do with your resources is similar to the issue of self-care versus other-care in general. Investing in your personal health is easy when you have "enough". It doesn't erase disease or bad genes, but if you didn't have that "enough", you could be in the position of deciding "food versus medicine", "housing versus heat/cooling" because there is not enough for everything.
Even this, though, is a problem that would shrink if circumstances were worse. Those who worry about living to the next day because their nation is under physical military attack? Yeah, that kind of worse. Concern that you child could do "everything right" but be in the presence of someone who mindlessly hates them because of the divisions in our society and the hate that has been stirred up and justified by either the drive for clicks of the media or the drive for distraction by politicians? That kind of worse. The fear of backlash? Yes, that's all part of the larger picture, even if I am able to set it aside on a given day.
Meanwhile, embrace those we love, cover them with our prayers, and expand those prayers where we can. Mom used to say about politics that we were to "pray your prayer, and vote your vote" and beyond that, trust. And that's how we manage to breathe and sleep.
Hugs and love... and trust. ❤️404!
❤️404❤️ I think I needed to get this out of my system. Now, on to reading Poverty, by America. Already having to set it down because of TANF funds use. 😡
DeleteOur generation grew up in a world that was full of possibilities. Owning your own home, car, or even business was there for those that worked hard. Hard work and a strong work ethic were the stepping stones to living the American dream. For many, due to circumstance far beyond their control, it is no longer a dream, but, instead, a nightmare. A nightmare created by the greed at the top, taken from those who have so little, at the bottom. Playing by the rules is an effort in futility, when led by thieves and thugs.
ReplyDeleteYour last paragraph is a road map for sanity and gratitude. Thank you!
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Everyone has expressed my thoughts nicely. I'm hoping were are in a cycle of social evolution and the changes will be coming.
ReplyDeleteMay it be so!
DeleteThanks for listening to me grump. Sometimes just writing down what bugs me helps me move on.
ReplyDelete