The Worst of Times?

 

"I know you feel these are the worst of times

I do believe it's true

When people lock their doors and hide inside

Rumor has it, it's the end of Paradise"

 

Musical Group Styx

1981

 

 

 

I am not a big 80's music fan - I am more of a 60's and 70's guy. However, there are a few groups that stand from the rest. The group Styx is one of them. It is interesting I would use Styx as part of this article. It is interesting because the name Styx in Ancient Greek also means "hate" and "detestation". In Greek mythology, it was a river that formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld (Hades). In other words, the name Styx is not very uplifting.

I have now lived through two economically turbulent times in our country. Unlike the generation before me, I did not live though the whopper of all bad economies - the Great Depression. However, in the late 1970's and early 1980's we had a very bad economy. High interest rates, double digit inflation and anemic growth. Terms like "stagflation" and "misery index" were coined. However, as bad as the Jimmy Carter economy was, this economy is worse.

To me, the biggest difference between the Carter economy and our current economy is the dark cloud which hangs over us these days. I have never seen anything like it. I don't care what the "right track, wrong track" polls say - most people I talk to think we are going nowhere, racing a hundred miles an hour down the wrong track. The good jobs which made our careers are disappearing daily, only to be replaced by hourly temp work. Our government statisticians tell us inflation is under control, however they factor out food and fuel which are going up like Roman candles.  Less money, more expense is the order of the day.

So are these the worst of times? Or are they (as the Administration tell us), "a bump in the road" to an eventual recovery? Today, people are scared and worried. They are more apprehensive than the days leading up to Y2K. Is it because the Mayan Calendar ends on December 21st? Is this the beginning of the dark days prior to the return of Christ? In Islam, is this the period prior to the return of the 12th Imam? What is it? Why are people so fearful about the future? We have the resurgence of survivalists, the advent of "preppers", soaring gun and ammo sales, "bug out" kits and "E" plans. I can't remember this much preparation during the cold war when we all thought nuclear war was inevitable. Today, we are preparing for the end of the world. 

After the defeat of Jimmy Carter by Ronald Reagan, the nation's mood was dour - just not to the extent it is today. Ronald Reagan did two things for us - he told the truth, and he assured us the party was far from being over. In fact, he told us it was again "morning in America" and our country truly was the "city of the hill"  the world looks to for inspiration. Ronald Reagan did not do "worst of times" - it was not in his DNA. He as an optimist with an infectious personality - his optimism spread across the landscape like wild fire.

We can't have President Reagan back, we can't even channel him. We need someone new to step forward and restore faith in ourselves, and in our country. We need someone to blow away the dark clouds covering our country with the mighty breath of optimism. As the world remains a dangerous place, we still need to stay alert, aware and prepared. Knowing that, we still need someone who can tell us it is okay to come out of our basements and once again experience the new morning, not the continued mourning, of America.
 

 

 "We'll take the best, forget the rest
And someday we'll find these are the best of times"