For most of us one of the most frustrating words of our childhood was the dreaded and disliked ‘Because’. When a parent would tell us we couldn’t do something or could not go somewhere and we asked why, the response was ‘Because I said so’ or just ‘Because’.
But as I grow older I think it is time we all revisit this term with a little more affection and respect. It is not much of a stretch to say that we are in less than encouraging times right now. We have a housing crisis and rising gas prices at home and an unpopular war overseas. Every day many of us cringe as we read the newspaper for the latest bad news to come across the wires.
Under these circumstances it is hardly surprising that many of us have become less than cheerful about the future. But I think it is time for us to take a new look at things. Yes, the economy is in trouble, but it is not the worst economy we’ve ever had, indeed it is fairly good by historical standards. 8.5% unemployment is bad, but it is not the 20 or 30% reached during the Great Depression.
Gas prices are high, but most of us can still go to work, get our groceries and even take a vacation. For many people around the world just the idea of being able to ride in a car once is a fantasy.
The war is bad and every death is a painful one, but we are not seeing tens of thousands die like we did in past wars (nor have we ever seen the kind of death tolls suffered by many other nations around the world).
This does not, of course, mean that we do not face real problems. The ones cited above and many others are going to be taxing on all of us for weeks, months or even years to come. But the idea that our world is going to collapse tomorrow is a bit extreme, and yet it is an idea that many seem to want to promote.
The solutions to these problems will not be easy, but they will be found. We’ve had problems before and many times they have seemed far more unsolvable than todays issues, but we endured, persevered and moved on.
So take a page from your childhood and just accept those parental words…
We will survive and things will get better.
And how do I know this ?
Because it will