Backed into a corner

Steve Jobs was cited to have said, and I paraphrase,  that people don’t know what they want until they are told.  I guess that is why there are so many people around telling us what we need to do.

It doesn’t help that we are held responsible for the collapse of our economy. But the cause is old Joseph Heller “Catch 22”. This is where the anti-hero of the story is told by the base doctor that yes to go to war is insane but by the very fact that you recognize that it as insanity means you are sane enough to go to war. In short you can’t win for losing.

Catch 22 is what is going on now with the middle or rather working class. We are told we are the problem we overreached our needs. We bought houses and cars we could not afford or even need. We maxed out our credit line buying the latest clothes going out to eat in the latest restaurant and buying the latest gadget we are told we must have to be considered worthy.

But then we are told that the middle class must be put back into this mindless spending mode if we are too revive the economy. Isn’t this what got us there into this economic depression as it is?  

Then we are told that we are to do this making significantly less than what got us into this pickle to begin with. Oh, you are to be happy and grateful about that as well. Talk about feeling trapped.

I think that it is time we reevaluate our core values. To ask ourselves what we need for a life well lived and not just a life lived. To established a set of core values not based on ownership of property but on possession of ourselves.

Realization that when our identity is based our possessions, on our purchasing power that then you devalue the individual.  That in turns leads to the destruction of his humanity.

When you destroy the humanity of the individual then he becomes soulless. Because he has no soul he sees no problem in destruction of the very thing that sustains him his environment.

I use to tell my kids that never to back a person into a corner without giving him an out. That not to do so will cause that person to act in a way that might not be to either of your benefit.  Well the middle or working class has been backed into that corner and our so called leaders are not providing us with a responsible way out. So, the questions begs to be ask what will our response be?

The feeling we are experiencing of waiting for the other shoe to fall to the floor is that response of the working class being painted into that corner with no way out. Perhaps the fall of that shoe has begun with the protest on Wall Street. It will be interesting to see how far it falls and what fallout  before that shoe lands.