Among the Fortunate

WARNING!!! THIS POST IS A RANT!!!

I had a pretty crappy day today. I applied for a promotion in my company, interviewed for the position, and didn't get the job. Not only did I not get the job, but of all the candidates, (there was just me, since I was the only one who applied for the job) the powers that be chose no one, so I am sitting here tonight, having the job I truly want going unfilled, which says to me that they would rather have no one, than me. This is a tough thing to sit and look at, and no matter how I try to rationalize it to myself, it hurts my pride and my sense of self-worth.

In times like these, chocolate donuts are the only solution.

Looking at the headlines of most of the major newspapers today, I saw bad news everywhere I looked. Companies are reporting record losses, my own phone carrier reported a staggering loss of 29.5 billion, and I am wondering if I will still have phone service in the morning. How can you lose such an enormous sum of money and still function in the world of business? Freddy Mac reported a loss of $2.5 billion, which is small change in this sub-prime climate, and no surprise to the public, but if you stop and think about it, just these two companies today lost 32 billion dollars. That's some serious capital people, and it happens daily. AIG took an 11 billion dollar write down. Did someone just pull the plug on the American economy? You have to stop and wonder just where is this money is going? Into what drain are these billions pouring, and how can I get a tiny cup underneath it so that I can retire in comfort?

Did I mention that the dollar has hit an all-time low?

Another headline that I ignored initially spoke of a high percentage of American citizens being thrown in jail in the last 20 years. When you think of police states, you would normally think of China, or Russia, or Cuba, but in fact, one in every 100 American citizens is incarcerated, and it costs American taxpayers some 55 billion a year. While our own citizens are behind bars, they are not earning a living, they are not paying taxes, and they are not working towards the American Dream. If they have children, maybe they are being raised by relatives already over-burdened by low wages, inflation, the cost of oil, and a mortgage on a home that they can't afford. My lack of forward progress in my chosen career is not really something I should be whining about, I still have a home, I still have a good job, I have a family that loves me, and I am not one of the 2.3 million Americans in jail.

I can count myself among the fortunate. I'm not in jail.

And if that is how we measure success in this country, then I have already achieved it. But I think we might want to set our goals a little higher, and explore the reasons for our country's failures. Facing unpleasant truths are difficult on a personal level, on a professional level, and certainly on a national level.

But until we face these truths, our standards for good fortune will continue to fall.

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