Thursday June 8, 2006 doom and gloom

I have to admit that the doom and gloom soothsayers have me a bit worried.
If I didn't read the national news or watch the television news, I probably wouldn't be aware that the world as we know it is about to end. The dollar is going to go into a tailspin and inflation is going to cause us to wheelbarrow our money to the market in order to buy the diminishing amout of goods available. Meanwhile, the Chinese and Indians will dominate the new world commerce and will cause a shortage of all essential goods and energy products. Our country will go bankrupt and our new retirement plan will be to work till you die and our health plan will be to stay healthy. They say this looming depression will be far worse than the last great depression and our excessive debt has brought us to this crucial point in history.

Before the fall of our american empire and the beginning of the next dark ages, I plan on enjoying the great life I have right this minute. The first thing I'm going to do is STOP WATCHING AND READING THE NEWS! I can't stop the world from falling apart. I can't control what other people in other countries do. I can't stop other people from wasting their money or wasting their lives – I can only control how I live my life and how I think about life. The world may fall apart sometime in the future, but it won't happen overnight. If the quality of life as we know it declines, it will happen slowly and we will adapt. We just don't need someone running around telling us “the sky is falling”. My dad and his family lived through the great depression, but they didn't know that it was the “great depression” until it was over. They only knew that things were a bit rough and everyone had to pitch in and help each other. They made it through and they were able to find the joy that was available. We will too.