Falling Down

I continue to be amazed at the growing number of people out there who just can't cut it. It seems that the skills that it takes to keep functioning, productive and effective in our society are increasing month by month. More and more people seem to be getting confused, discouraged, or just plain overwhelmed.

Yes, the people who come to see me have difficulties. That is a given. But at least they are trying to deal with them. But they all bring with them stories of family members and friends who are worse off than they are, and who have become burdens to the families and friends who already have difficult lives.

Much of it is economic, as it is now very difficult to survive with a low-end job. Many, many jobs pay from $8 to $20 an hour. Almost all the service, retail and food related jobs. No one can really survive on that. Maybe if you're 24, and share an apartment, but you can't make a life. Yet, it is difficult work, with only a very narrow path to improvement.

But also the amount of drugs, alcohol, confusion, ineptitude, racial and sex discrimination, that is out there just adds to it all. Every day I get calls from people hoping to find a way to get on SSDI. The demands of a job, a family, and making a life become too much. They just don't want to do it any more. And once you fall behind it is so difficult to catch up. The welfare rules are complex and humiliating. The banks and credit system will screw you once you step into it too deeply, the computer-run bureaucracy, both the public and corporate ones, are impenetrable. People get angry. There seems to be anger everywhere. Changes come too quickly, no one seems to know what's next, or how to prepare for it.

There is a very strong feeling out there that things are not fair, that the rules are different for different people, the deck is stacked, and that there are no longer any standards of morals and justice. That seems to be the feelings of people on both the political right and left, but they each see different enemies.

What I see going on is this: AND I'm the one who KNOWS!

1. America has become much too much about the money. It always has been, but now it is worse and obvious. There is a lot of publicity about people who do not work hard yet acquire unspeakable amounts of money. Some people are just clever, some are heavily leveraged, and many just made money with the money they were born with. But now it is clearer that many people have become rich by bending the rules, a lot. And they get rewarded for it. No one really stops them.

2. People who see this expect that they too should be granted and easy, party, fun-filled life, without working too hard. They resent that they have to work hard every day. They feel exploited and angry. And now, with all of the new technology, everyone expects to be a star. We all have something to say, no matter how trite, trivial or meaningless. We all Tweet, Facebook, blog and YouTube. (Here I am, ranting on!)

But I have so many clients who have kids, brothers or close friends who spend hours and hours on-line, never see the light of day, and can't earn a living. Between Facebook, Pogo, and porn, their lives are complete. But they have no real skills.

Fifty, sixty years ago, it seems to me through the heavy fog of distorted memory, my father went to work eight to ten hours a day, six days a week. He was happy to be making money and have a warm home and a couple of annoying kids. He had come from Eastern Europe as a kid, and he was happy to be safe, and be able to keep what he worked for. He didn't expect life to be easy, He didn't want to be a star. He knew the world wasn't fair, as many of his relatives had been arbitrarily murdered by the Nazis. But he was willing to work, and he took satisfaction from it.

Much of that seem hard to find today. The Mexican, Chinese and Vietnamese are doing our dirty work. So many Americans seem to want to stay home and play video war games. The threat to our country certainly does not come sneaking across the border. It is right here in front of the 54 inch screen.