New Normal vs. We Want Our Country Back

New Normal vs. We Want Our Country Back
by Evelyn McCorristin Peters
November 14, 2010

Like most people these days I've been muddling over the state of our economy and our country. I don't dwell on finances. I am responsible, save when I can and pay my bills on time, which is a huge improvement from my younger days. I don't get overly anxious about money because I realize the only way I wouldn't worry about it or the lack of it, is if I were rich. And since that is not the situation I don't want to waste my energy the rest of my life worrying about it. And yes, I realize I have the luxury to have that attitude because I actually have some money.

When the happy balloon burst over our financial world many people were talking about the "new normal." A time when people didn't own ridiculously large homes, autos, and have tons of toys. Somewhere along the road we  have become a nation of entitlement. We believe we should have everything and not make any sacrifices. People say they will never drive an electric car because they don't want to give up power. Many are saying they want to keep the parts of the new healthcare bill they like and get rid of the ones they don't. They don't seem to realize that the parts they may not like are the ones that PAY for the parts they do. I'm not sure if or when people will realize that we cannot drive the same road for the rest of our history. The world just doesn't work that way. So I don't think as a whole we have embraced the theory of a "new normal."

The resistance to establish a new style of living could not be more evident in the people who say they "want their country back."  I need to clarify something here first. I want to say that I think it is absolutely fantastic that a limited amount of people managed to get together, make their voices heard and make an impact on our government representatives. I may not agree with a darn thing they say, but I respect their efforts and their success no matter how much it befuddles me. 

I just wish someone would tell me where the country went if people want it back. Not a whole hell of a lot has changed lately, no matter how much we thought we were going to embrace something different. Change is scary, good or bad, it's still scary and most will resist it.  We cannot go back in time. The past always looks better when we look back at it. But I'm pretty sure that when it was the present there were a lot of unhappy, struggling people then as well. Life styles and governments, religion and politics change. That's just the nature of the beast. 

But of all times in our country's short history, we have to change. Everything is global now, we are not alone no matter how much you might believe we are by watching the evening news and its lack of coverage of world situations. It would be nice to go back to a time when we were a country immune to terrorism, where we were the super power that could fix the world's problems. But quiet frankly we couldn't really fix them then and we sure can't fix them now. Our military is the biggest in the world but has not had much success for a while. Most times when something is that big someone is over compensating for something that is missing.

So I am creating my own "new normal" and I'll share more on that soon. But I feel pretty good about it. More care is going into my actions, purchases, and choice of how I'm going to live my life. In other words I'm taking time to think about what is important and realize that those are the goals I should be working toward.

Do you have a new normal, or are you struggling to understand the past. I would really like to know, please share.