New Year, New Fear

That’s right a new year brings new fears. A year ago none of us would have thought we’d be affected by the “credit crunch”. But this year it seems inevitable. We will all be affected somehow by this financial meltdown in 2009. Some of us will lose our jobs, be forced into other fields of interest to find the income we need, or just simply continue to collect unemployment as we wait for a positive upturn in the economy.

The fear I mention is not the fear of further economic or financial crises, it’s the fear of starting over. Some of us will have to start from scratch. Adapt to a different way of living. This doesn’t mean it should be difficult or cause us any distress. The end of last year has given us the opportunity to transition into different fields of interests whether we like it or not.

In a recent trip back home to New York for the holidays I witnessed first hand the disorder an economic recession can have on a population. Each day the television set blared out the economic woes of every class in society and how to cope with difficult financial circumstances during the holidays. If hearing about it from the media all day wasn’t enough, I’d go out in the evenings and get it from my friends. “So how is your job?”, I’d ask enthusiastically, with an interest in catching up with an old friend from college. “What job? I got fired a couple of months ago,” she replied. She was employed at MTV and is now currently freelancing with a production group..

Another friend recently graduated from the New York City Fire Academy. One of the proudest moments I’d ever experienced with him. After being assigned to his fire house, one day fresh from graduating, he was enlightened to the difficulties the city was having. If approved a new city budget might not be able to keep him or the rest of the new probationary fire-fighters who are eager to protect the city. It's a shame when dedicated men and women make a sacrifice for an enormous cause but in the end cannot be utilized to act upon it.

Although things have changed for many and may change for some, now is a time to focus on what matters most to us; friends, family, our passions and desires. Through the dust clouds of the economic rubble we should see signs of relief at the end of the tunnel. God bless in 2009, may it be a year of modesty, unity, and sacrifice. Keep your dreams alive and continue to strive for all that you deserve.