Rock and a Hard Place by Dr. Juan Harrison
Rock and a Hard Place
Slowly, gradually unseen forces have increased their pressure from both sides. The vice is slowly tightening. People search in vain for good news in their daily lives, but are constantly met with greater challenges than ever before. We often feel confused or angry that we may find ourselves unable to do and go and eat and play with the same resources we’ve survived on in recent times. Inflation sounds cold and foreign. Can’t afford it brings it down to earth.
We’re all looking. We’re checking nooks and crannies for any accessible uncommitted money to cover the increasing cost of everything. For some it is more overtime. For others it is a second or third job. Some may have already given up as they feel a financial tsunami sweeping over them with little hope of recovering. What happened to that good life with the new SUV and the nice house? We’re moving from proactive to reactive as we find ourselves putting out more little fires threatening to explode into a blaze.
As credit card balances rise along with higher interest rates and larger minimum payments, we feel the constant nibbles at our pocket books. Big purchases seem to slowly be slipping beyond our reach. New homes elude the grasp of youngers as the olders consider downsizing. Our children, grandchildren, and spouses may not be able to understand or be willing to accept the idea that things are changing. We all want to keep up appearances and deny that our quality of life as we’ve known it in recent years seems to be slowly slipping away.
America is an awesome land of opportunity when we are riding high and living the life. It’s not so much when we have to start cutting back and doing without. That’s almost a foreign concept to our younger folks. Us older guys may have bought into the Cajun phrase “Let the good times roll,” but we vaguely remember an earlier time of more financial caution without cards and an attitude of pay as we go.
We continue to remind us that we live in the greatest place in the world. It’s just that our chickens are coming home to roost. More family members are moving in together. More single folks are declining to move out. Luxuries are moving aside for necessities. This is tough. People don’t want their neighbors to know they are struggling. Maybe they are experiencing the same thing. The rock rolls ever closer pushing us up against the hard place. A lot of us know that we have the ability to bring our country’s economic situation back in line. We’re just not convinced that our present generation has the willpower and determination to right the leaning ship. Better hurry. Water’s pouring over the side. Unload some of the nonessentials before we find ourselves in the bottom.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
