The Economic Recession: Crisis or Opportunity?
Sep 4th, 2009 by admin
We are all in this together
What are the changes that we are starting to see in our society, in the midst of the current economic downturn?
- A shift in the value of money. Some of us seem to have changed the way we deal with money. We are saving more; we are looking for bargains; we are more likely to buy when we need something, rather than on impulse.
An article on the New York Times on 8/29/09 reported less spending in general. In contrast, stores such as “the Natural Gardener” that sells seeds, plants and tools for organic gardening, are doing great.
This indicates that not only we spend less, but we spend DIFFERENTLY. There seems to be more thoughts about the future, rather than just the present moment. We seem to be doing more planning than we used to do. The popularity of community gardens attests to this new trend.
Additionally, rather than flaunting designer labels, we may talk more about buying what we need at discount stores. Magazines, likewise, have shifted from displaying luxury items to articles on less expensive ones, often listing places and ways of getting them.
- More collaboration. Another change seems to be about collaboration. We seem to be more willing to collaborate in joint projects and ventures, support each other and band together to face challenges and uncertainties. This is valuable both for our physical as well as our mental health, and yet it is also something we fight, as at times we see collaboration and individual achievement as contradictory and mutually exclusive.
In a recent article on Scientific American Mind (Sept/Dec. 2009), Jetten et al. state that “Belonging to social groups and networks appears to be an important predictor of health – just as important as diet and exercise.”
All this is, evolutionarily, how we survived throughout history and how we evolved. As we had neither big fangs nor powerful muscles to protect ourselves from stronger predators, we survived by banding together and relying on the strength of the group.
Empathy is the main means of communicating with one another at an emotional level. It develops, together with and other “social” emotions, by being in groups. This is where we learn to get along, to feel what others are feeling, to follow (or rebel against) rules. Without empathy, we are isolated and disconnected from one another.
- More empathy. Currently even those of us who are still doing well in this economy do not seem to want to brag about it. We are more aware that this would be uncaring and insensitive to the less fortunate ones. There is as sense of being all together in this predicament, and needing everybody’s help to get out of it.
Will these cultural shifts be permanent? It is probably too soon to tell.
There are two schools of thought here:
One, which I call the optimistic school, believes people will be permanently changed by the current economic downturn, just like people who went through the great depression of the 1930s did after being exposed to the anxieties and tribulations of those times. They learned to be cautious and avoid excesses to be better prepared for whatever problem may be lurking behind the corner. They also learned to value of allying with other fellow men and women in order to support each other.
The other school, which I call the cynical school, believes that, as soon as things will start to be normal again, people will go back to their old ways of being self-focused and materialistic.
I am an optimist and believe people learn from experiences, particularly painful ones. As a species, we survived and evolved because we learned to be masters of adaptation to different environments and demands.
I believe most people appreciate the value of friendship, collaboration, sharing and mutual support. Therefore, what is currently happening in this country presents a great opportunity for all of us to reflect on our old ways and invest more effort in becoming better neighbors, better brothers and sisters, better friends and better citizens, because these are the core values that make us human.
