Now that the presidential election is over, we have turned our attention to solving some of the problems facing our nation - and these problems are serious indeed.
Wall Street and the nation's financial giants are struggling with the results of what could charitably be called mismanagement and is most commonly construed as greed. The auto industry has experienced a downturn so severe that they face failure if they cannot broker some kind of merger. Unemployment is at its highest level in more than a decade and analysts say that this may be only the beginning of the effect of the credit crunch on the labor market. Nonprofit organizations that help people in need already are operating on the edge and can only look forward to further cutbacks.
Worst of all, many families are in danger of losing their homes because of job loss, predatory lending or overwhelming personal debt.
The state of the economy seems catastrophic, and there doesn't appear to be an easy fix on the horizon. Almost everyone agrees that things in our country are probably going to change and not for the better. We may be in for some relatively hard times.
We should not, however, forget that this crisis not only affects us here in the United States, but it is world wide. As First-World economies struggle, developing countries are teetering on the brink. Many of the gains made in developing countries during the past 25 years are in danger of disappearing. Political instability often follows financial instability as people lose confidence in their leaders and governments lack the ability to provide help to their people.
In the Third World, millions of people are sinking further into abject poverty. Millions more are suffering from the effects of political anarchy and violence.
As we here in America prepare to cope with hard times ahead, it might be wise to put our hardships into perspective. Having to forego the family's summer vacation may seem like a tragedy - except to the mother whose child is dying from dysentery because of a lack of clean water. Not having as many Christmas gifts this year is not as bad as living in a refugee camp and subsisting on a cup of rice a day.
When it comes to helping others, we should never think "either/or"; we should always think "both/and." We should never ignore those among us who are experiencing adversity. Neither can we overlook those around the world who are suffering. Those of us who can lend a hand should be grateful to be in a position to help.