Radical Thinking

I am a worrier. I consider this my job and I am good at it. Since I was a child I have worried about pollution, war and nuclear annihilation. Okay, the films we watched in elementary school telling us to duck and cover didn't help....as if ..... Worrying is, and forever will be, an intricate part of my psyche. In my adult life I have adjusted. I plan ahead, store water and I worry. All of the above helps me to function in my day to day life. I, at least, feel prepared for impending doom. I am generally a happy person with a dash of anxiety and a pinch of pessimism.

One would think that the current state of world affairs and the ever looming energy crisis would have thrown me into hyper worryland. I am stunned to announce that it has not. I actually am at peace because I know that as a nation we just can't continue on the same path. Somethings gotta give. 6 dollar a gallon gasoline is going to be the motivator to bring about the change we need.

As a whole America and our families are self destructing. One doesn't need a degree in sociology to recognize what is evident. High divorce rates, crimes against children, and the deterioration of our schools point to the obvious. We are focused on the physical exterior and not the emotional interior. We need something, anything to bring us back to a more simple time.

Happiness can no longer depend on the government, fast food, designer handbags or status symbol cars. Our habits as a family and a nation have to change. Being optimistic here, perhaps not having the ability to run the roads freely with cheap gas to buy entertainment and material things to make us happy, will put us on the road to the change we need. We need core values, we need our God, we need our community, and we need each other. None of this can be gotten at the mall.

All of this is radical thinking I know. For me, being optimistic is not a personal given. But what else can I do, what can we collectively do? We can either embrace this challenge, change how we live, or we can worry. For once in my life I choose to be optimistic. A wise man once said that the only constant in life is change. No truer words have ever been spoken.

Questions or comments? Please feel free to "Ask Ms. Donna"