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If you have a keen
ear, in between all the devastating national and international
news, you may have heard the rumblings of what promises
to be, a revolution in how Americans think.
In short, extravagance is out — thrift is in. We
have quickly changed from a culture which binged on excess;
stuffing ourselves with ever more possessions we couldn’t
afford, applauding acquisitiveness and over-spending and
we have, belatedly but collectively, come to our senses.
Although as Americans, we have always believed in working
hard with a goal of enjoying "the good life,"
there is now a recognition that there is something immoral
in aspiring to handbags and shoes costing many hundreds
of dollars, when others have no place to live and little
to eat.
Anger has replaced admiration toward corporate executives
with their outsize bonuses and company jets. We have long
been interested voyeurs into the lives of the rich and famous,
but now there seems to be a new emphasis on how people live
their lives; what contributions they make, rather than what
possessions they have accumulated.
Signs of this revolution in thinking abound. A new comedian,
known as Rev. Billy of the Church of Life After Shopping,
pokes fun at our over-spending habits. Web sites encourage
former "fashionistas" to become instead, "recessionistas"
by going from new shoes to new soles, from redecorating
to reorganizing and from retirement to reincarnation.
Department stores no longer use terminology like "must
haves," "prestigious" or "ultimate luxury."
They, instead, emphasize "incredible value" and
"amazing savings." Even the well-off are shopping
their closet instead of buying new spring fashions; something
we seniors, for whom the new styles have never been designed,
learned to do, long ago.
In fact, we are not only expert at shopping our closets,
we shop our attics and basements, as well. As part of the
emphasis on what kind of person you are rather than what
you own, there are a rash of new books about changing your
life by performing one unselfish act, every day.
People are also hungry for some good news amid all the
gloom and doom. Brian Williams, who felt he was anchoring
depressing news for a depressed audience, recently asked
listeners to send examples of "good news stories"
to his television station. He was amazed when they received
thousands of responses within two days.
To give credit where credit is due, a lot of this "revolutionary
thinking" is nothing different from what, those of
us born in the ’20s and ’30s heard from our
parents’ lips. "Buy only what you can afford."
"Neither a borrower or a lender be." "A penny
saved is a penny earned," and "use it up, wear
it out, make it do."
The good coming out of our economic crisis is that hopefully
we will return to some worthwhile fundamental principles
for living. Meanwhile, I like this quote from an unknown
author, "Life isn’t about waiting for the storm
to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain."
Jean Cherni is founder of Senior
Living Solutions, a retirement advisory service. Contact
her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds, Branford
06405.
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