"Times are Hard"... Really?

I would like to state first and foremost that this post is in no way intended to make light of the situation of the reader as an individual. If you are facing a crisis in which you or your kin"s basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, health are in jeopardy, then I would definitely say you have fallen on hard times. If that is the case, please do not take this post as a personal attack or demeaning of your situation.

What I want to discuss in this post is the role of perception in how we experience the world around us. Here is a "hypothetical" situation...How many times have you been engaged in a conversation with a friend or acquaintance, and you were told, well, " I might do this or that but Times are hard, you know?" or something else along those lines. How many times have you heard something along those lines and simply smiled as best as you could, and humbly agreed? When inside you are doing the astral eye roll?

I was having such a conversation a few days ago and this came up. I was told "Times are Hard." And for once I could not hold my tongue...so I asked...are times really so hard? REALLY?

To be bluntly honest, I was thinking at the time of our long past heathen ancestors. I was wondering what they might be thinking of this conclusion that times are hard. When comparing our lives now with their lives then, well, the idea becomes almost laughable doesn't it?

Times are stressful...Times are annoying...Times are inconvenient in some sense, yes I would agree. But hard? I simply can't stomach that for the VAST majority of us within a first world country.

Very few of us have a problem filling our bellies with the basic necessity of food. If we fall on difficult times, we can still for the most part apply for food stamps, go to a food bank or some other charitable organization for help putting food on the table. We can grow our own food even if we are so inclined.

Most of us are able to keep a roof over our heads. Now I realize many are struggling with mortgages and such. But realistically, even if the house is lost, most will be able to downsize into a smaller home or apartment. It may not be convenient but I think that there are very few who would face utter homelessness.

Perhaps one faces economic difficulties and cannot afford to go out and buy the latest fashions and brand name clothes. But I know from years of experience that there are a wealth of thrift shops and consignment shops were one can acquire gently used perfectly serviceable and dare I say even fashionable clothing for a fraction of the retail price. And not too mention the clearance racks full of marked down items in almost ever department store across the country.

My conclusion is that for most, when I am told that TIMES ARE HARD, they will be the proud recipient of a big inward eye roll. I see the problem not with the outside world but the inward. The problem is in the perception of what constitutes "HARD TIMES."

In the days of our distant ancestors, times were HARD. A bad growing season might leave a whole community struggling to survive a long hard northern winter. If a woman gave birth to a child that had some sort of disability or deformity, even a small one, they might have no choice but to expose the child in order to alleviate the burden it might lead to in the community. A man might be forced to fight for his life over what we today would deem a small insult. Or pay a sum to reconcile his own honor in the face of a kinsman's actions that he had little control over. Choices were made everyday which could lead to death and destruction. THOSE were Hard Times.

I think we all must at times struggle with our own perceptions of struggle. It is easy to be bitter in a society based on consumerism and capital. We can easily become discouraged and negative when we feel that we can't acquire the material possessions we see others in possession of. Advertising feeds these wants to us and we gobble them up, constantly searching for the newest, brightest, top of the line everything. And when we lose these things are unable to acquire them, suddenly...Times are Hard.

Whenever I feel this type of thinking coming over me, I try my best to question it. I ask myself, are times really that hard? Is my family safe, clothed, sheltered, and fed? Do I have the things I need in order to survive and enjoy my life? Am I free, and able to live my life according to my own design? If the answer to these questions are YES. Well it becomes quickly apparent to the rational mind that Times really aren't all that Hard.

What becomes apparent is that it is our perspective of what we need and what we want that makes life a difficult journey or a fulfilling path. And it is time we realize that it requires a re-prioritizing of what is truly important us. Times are only hard when you perceive them that way.