“If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” ~Earl Wilson
I believe we are living through a time of unprecedented stress. A worldwide recession has thrown most people into turmoil. If we’re lucky enough to have a job, we worry about keeping it. Mortgages or rent, food and healthcare, power and transportation, and credit card all has to be paid for. If we’re unemployed, we undergo enormous anxiety about how we’ll manage.
The experts say this economic situation will be with us for several more years. What makes that even worse news is that both domestic violence AND suicide peak when economic woes do. Most countries have been shy about reporting suicide rates tied to the recession, but in Japan, where there is less of a stigma about suicide, suicide rates have reportedly doubled in recent years.
I wish that I had some words of wisdom to quell this anxiety. Unfortunately, I don’t. But to the young people still living at home, I want to say, give your parents a break – they may be under more pressure than you think; most parents don’t want their kids to know about their economic worries.
To the adults, I want to say, we’re all in this together. The generation that lived through the Great Depression emerged stronger and became “The Greatest Generation.” What will our generation become?
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