If some poor soul in the developing world can produce the same output and work you do… though they go home every night to a house that doesn’t even have running water- if the above is true for you- you have to find a new line of work.
It seems unfair but it’s the reality of Labor Market Darwinism, a term first coined by me roughly 45 seconds ago.
There isn’t a politician in the US with the cajones to say this, of course. They default to the patronizing we need to create good-paying jobs! line and everybody cheers. Hoo-ray! We are for good-paying jobs, too!!, they shout.
Lovely idea, it really is. Problem is it’s up to the people and not the politicians and these cheering people are being spoon-fed glee without any substance.
We hear about training and various other vague programs that, apparently, if you elect Candidate A…SHAZAM!..they will be able to create good-paying jobs with their copyright-protected program entitled Creating Good Paying Jobs Via Training And Various Other Vague Programs And Stuff Initiative (CGJVTAVOVPASI as it’s also known as in the world of make-believe).
There are a lot of good people, hard-working people who got blindsided by globalization and that stinks. No man is an island; I don’t care how talented or ambitious someone is. We’re an interdependent species. But let’s look at some of the generations that preceded us and faced hardship more significant than the current Great Recession. These people and these generations prevailed. They did so, amazingly, in a manner entirely different than the Occupy Wall Street movement. Instead, they did it all by busting their stones and managed to do it (brace yourself) without the advent of the iPhone, the standard-issue weapon of the Occupy Wall Street soldiers.
Hall of Fame baseball player Yogi Berra- who wasn’t quite as articulate as your average cocker spaniel- said it best: “..80% of this game is half mental!..”
He was talking about mental toughness. We all need to find it when things aren’t going well- and they will for EVERYBODY from time to time. Tune out the person running for office and tune it to what’s important to you.
And stop staring at your smartphone screen as you’re walking down the street.
