It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Have you heard, the sky is falling, the world is coming to an end, we're all going down in a burst of flames. The terrorists are coming after us, the Mexican barbarians are at the gate, the planet is burning up, the government is bankrupt, economically and morally, we're running out of food to eat and the price of gas is going through the roof! Quick, grab your guns and loved ones and run for the hills, the Armageddon is upon us! Oh, and would the last person please turn off the lights before you leave, the electric bill is killing us.

Don't believe me though, see and read and listen for yourself. The New York Times says so, so does NPR, and CNN, and if the media says so, well it must be true. Heart wrenching stories of middle class people having to give up the extra trip to the mall, or not being able to gorge themselves with two days worth of calories and fat at the local chain restaurant, why I even read of one person who got a bike so they could ride to work instead of drive. Never mind that she works two miles from home, which would take her about 10 minutes to bike or less than 40 cents to drive, because that ruins the story. And the story is that Americans are in a panic, in an uproar, mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

As with most panics, there is some baseline of truth, something real that causes discomfort in the first place. Gas prices are high, and will probably get a little higher before market forces cause them to level off and even come down a little. Food prices are high, but the same law of supply and demand will eventually work its magic here as well. The federal government is actually bankrupt and heavily in debt, so that one is real too, and there are alot of Mexicans, many of them undocumented, most of them the variety of good, honest, hard-working people that have always come to America in search of opportunity and have been improved by and improved upon our nation.

But there is a need for a little pause here among the heavy breathing and exclamatory headlines. Yes, Americans are hurting some, the upper class is being taxed too much, but at least they have money left over, just less of it. The working class always feels the pain more in a recession, which I believe we are, and have been in for awhile, albeit a modest one. However the working class gets many government subsidies from the earned income tax credit to rent assistance, free health care and food assistance, which probably explains in part why most of my students in the inner city have cell phones and wear expensive designer jeans and jerseys. The middle class gets the brunt of it, heavily taxed and not eligible for most government assistance, not to mention conditioned not to seek or accept it, part of the middle class culture of taking care of your own business without screwing over those below you or wanting a hand from those above you. Of course, as I write this I am awaiting my stimulus check in the mail, like Arthur at the end of the movie, I'm not stupid, I'll take the money.

So problems and issues are real, we should deal with what is in our power to deal with, namely by demanding a comprehensive energy and environmental policy from our government, ans also demanding that our tax bills be lowered and our money spent more wisely. Just this week alone between the bloated farm bill and the immoral war spending bill we've committed to over a half a trillion more in spending, you can hear the Chinese investors making their vacations plans as I write this. We should demand that our government develop a comprehensive and humane immigration policy, one that will balance the interests of national sovereignty with respect for human rights and a realistic assessment of our economy and labor needs. And most importantly, we should insist that our government pull the plug on the war in Iraq, and bring every single troop home as quickly and safely as can be done. Then we should start working on getting them out of Afghanistan as well, where we have been so long we seem to have forgotten what the mission was in the first place, let alone to have a decent shot of actually accomplishing it.

Then we should all take a deep breath, exhale like Bill Clinton would have had he ever inhaled, and slow down a minute, look around us and be glad for what we do have. We have food to eat, it may cost a bit more, we may have to eat out a bit less often, and we may be forced to eat less meat and more fruits, grains, and veggies, becoming more fit and healthy in the process. We can still drive our cars, just less so and slower. I started driving 65 recently and have seen my gas mileage improve to 25 mpg, in a nearly 10 year old car. I've even taken it a step further and started driving in the 55-60 mph range when conditions allow, and I've got to say it's actually relaxing and kind of fun in a dorky sort of way. Maybe something good will come of all of this, we'll consume less and live and love more. Instead of going out we'll stay in and spend time with family and friends, instead of living in the anonymity of sprawling suburbia we'll eventually start living in more densely populated and intimately connected communities, in smaller dwellings and in closer proximity to where we work and play. Maybe we'll start riding bikes and walking more often, and maybe we'll remember that immigration done right is what has made our nation strong and great and a beacon for the rest of the world. Maybe we'll go back to being the defenders of freedom and not the imperialistic oppressors that we are now often viewed as.

Is my optimism unwarranted, am I just another soft liberal with his head buried in the clouds, oblivious to the dangers and threats all around us? Perhaps a little, but what is the alternative? To run around in dire straights, feeling anxiety and stress every waking moment worrying about what's happening and how much worse it will get? No thanks. I recognize problems and hope for sensible solutions, but there is just too much beauty in the world, too many opportunities to enjoy life, and too many people to live with and love to spend time worrying about every nickel and dime and where it's going. When I think of all the blessings that I have, and that we have, it warms my soul, affirms my unshakable faith in God, and gives me hope that the future will bring about much more good than bad. There's a line in the movie "Boys 'N the Hood" by Furious Styles where he says, "I'm livin', and that's enough for me." Those are words I say to myself often, and that's why despite all the problems and concerns in the world, I still wake up every single morning, without fail, feeling fine. To me, that's the only way to go through this crazy unpredictable world that we live in.