|
If Things Get Worse …
By Bob Davidson, Canton
Threat of war, global warming, the poor economy, and AIDS. If things get much worse, we might be forced to consider doing some or all of the following:
• Put aside our own personal short-term goals and, at least for a short time, serve our country.
• Summon up the courage to face reality and actually take action to destroy the evil empires which threaten our way of life.
• Share rides, use public transportation, vacation at or near home, turn off lights and other appliances when not needed, and—horror of horrors—walk instead of driving when possible.
• Build homes only large enough to meet our reasonable needs, rather than to showcase our wealth.
• Families might have to consider only having the number of children (in some cases, none) they can support without welfare programs or tax write-offs.
• Families might have to stay together to support their family unit and even take responsibility for elderly parents and grandparents; past generations accepted this as a moral obligation.
• Those primarily responsible for spreading disease might be required to exercise restraint, self-control, and even abandon the behavior that spreads the disease. Failing this, the plague could be stopped by the quarantine of contagious persons.
Yes, if things get any worse, we all might, for the first time in decades, learn to serve rather than be served, give of ourselves rather than take from others, consider sacrificing as being successful, accept our legs as a means of transportation, and finally stop pandering to political correctness in dealing with the spread of a deadly disease.
Each generation has felt that it should make things easier for those who follow, and this has created an attitude of entitlement. That may be changing. It might just be possible that if things get any worse, they might just force us to be better.
| 
