Monday Musings...
Welcome to JUNE...and if you're living in Fort Wayne, you're being RAINED upon this morning.
I guess Rainy Days and Mondays DO have their place, but nothing grinds to a halt because the weather is inclement, does it?
Gray skies are gonna cheer up...
Put on that happy face...LOL.
And be sure to wipe your feet!
Now, let's slog our way through what happening around and about, shall we?
** The LAST survivor of the sinking of the Titanic has passed away.
I thought this was sad, because in her last years, Millvina Dean, who was only TWO MONTHS OLD when the great ship sank, was living at a nursing home and fell upon hard times trying to PAY for her care (gotta love British Socialized health care, right Mr. President?). Enter the stars of the movie TITANIC, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, who donated money to her, that she might find her final time as peaceful as possible.
Now that touches me in a damn good way.
And it makes a statement to senior care.
NONE of these elder citizens are what anyone could call "disposable", and yet time and again, we see evidence of such treatment. If it's not some scam artist trying to bilk these seniors out of THEIR savings, it's health care workers accosting them IN the damn NURSING HOMES.
Even if they TRY to live their lives outside of the nursing home system, they could wind up suffering a fate like Marabel Chanin (another story you may never hear about).
Here's the YouTube link for her video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_I_s3dtWC0
This story will move you, and prove that many still value principles in life.
Now I won't go into lengthy detail about seniors...hell, I'm rapidly becoming one, but I will say that over the last 100 years, there has been a paradigm shift in the way we treat our elders.
The first thing you notice is the lack of RESPECT shown to these people who have LIVED history in the making.
Time and again, you read or hear about seniors targeted by thugs, looking for the quick buck.
I always revered my elders. They knew SO MUCH MORE than I could veer hope to know, but as one by one, they passed from my life, they DID leave something behind.
They left THEIR MEMORIES, and my memories OF them. They imparted to me the curiosity to seek and covet wisdom and truth. They taught me that tenacious diligence in the pursuit of the "American Dream" has it's own rewards, and that every generation is in debt to the one that came before it, for they can help us to understand one another. If we heed their words, even from beyond the grave, we can make that difference. If we do not, then we are destined to repeat our mistakes until we get it right.
Every senior is special, in that they will not be here in perhaps ten years. We should be the ear to listen when they need to speak, and the voice of them when they need one.
We might read or listen to history, but they ARE history. They are filled with the richness of that history, and we should cherish every moment we have with them...and learn.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox for the morning...
** I've been doing some checking into the last 50 years in this nation, and It's been an interesting ride, strictly from a "domestic" take.
Excluding external aspects that have affected this nation, we've pretty much allowed big business and government to run slipshod over every single one of us. And we never seemed to piss or moan at all for some strange reason.
Wonder why that was?
Fifty years ago, bread was only 27 cents a loaf...for the regular brands. Now, the "discount" loaf will cost you 88 cents. Not too big a hole in the pocket, but think about other things.
-Fuel costs have been up and down more often than a $5 prostitute!
-Ditto for the stock market. (there goes the retirement, hmm?)
-Clothing has gotten more expensive and sacrificed quality in the process.
-America has lost it's #1 production status in the world (unless you consider producing DEBT something to be proud of).
-We've literally lost MILLIONS upon millions of jobs over the last 50 years.
-Technology for "personal" devices has grown exponentially, while forgetting to factor in the ability of mankind to "keep up" and be responsible in it's usage.
And then there are the car companies (the major American three that are left anyway).
At one time, America had well over TWENTY separate car makers (and for a LOT FEWER people to boot). Names like Locomobile, Reo, Maxwell, Porter, Cord. Duesenberg, Packard, Hudson, Studebaker, Pierce-Arrow, and on and on.
Every one of these companies eventually failed and closed, with NO government bailing them out. They were allowed to fail.
Most of the "failed" companies were bought up by larger ones, and the old game of chance began.
Who could get bigger and still outproduce everyone else without going broke?
And make a car the people wanted?
Well, today, I'd have to say the "winner" might be FORD. They haven't taken any bailout money (a testament to Henry Ford, who didn't like big government all that much anyway), and although even they are struggling, are doing better than CHRYSLER OR GM.
Maybe we can see an analogy in this whole "senior" thing.
America should have been paying attention to ALL of it's "aging" car makers...and didn't.
If there is one thing you can take away from this, is that the AMERICAN SPIRIT is still alive and well. It might be in hiding, but it will resurface, and be as strong as it once was. We've bounced back from other global problems, and we CAN do it again.
We just have to believe in OURSELVES FIRST, and THEN the government.
Government cannot solve everyone's problems...they're too busy making the country function (although today, you wouldn't much think that the case, would you?) as a member of the global society.
WE (the people) have made this nation great.
WE have provided the entrepreneurs with the ability to grow this nation.
WE have placed good captains at the helm of our "ship of state" to navigate us through rough financial seas in the past
WE have been charitable towards our fellow man, aside from governmental interference.
And it will fall upon the shoulders of each one of us to do what we need to do to assure that what worked for us in the past can work for us again...no matter what.
Think on that today, wherever you travel, and...
Stay safe out here, America.