Like it was in the Olden Days

Dennis and I took a step back in time last night. I know you are thinking: Ohmigod. I cannot believe that they used their time machine to go back in time. AGAIN. And Krista is pregnant. That's just plain irresponsible.

In actuality, we were neither irresponsible nor dangerous. Instead of taking a ride in a time machine, Dennis and I listened to Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope on the radio rather than watching TV. Or playing on the Internet. We sat on the floor (not sure why), facing each other, and listened to what Dave Ramsey had to say. A fan of limited government who has pointed out that "government is nothing more than a parasite", he urged people to remain hopeful that the economy will recover - because it will - and to not participate in the recession.

Just how do you go about not participating in the recession? Be positive. Don't complain, just fix whatever it is that you are going to complain about. If you are out of work, then go find a job. Don't wait for a handout and don't act like you are entitled to anything. BECAUSE YOU AREN'T. You aren't entitled to healthcare, to a college education, to a job, to money. You have to take accountability for yourself and your actions. The reason we're in this bad place economically is because no one is taking responsibility for their actions. I signed loan papers for a house that I couldn't afford but it wasn't MY fault that I had to foreclose on the property. I lost my job and so it wasn't MY fault that I couldn't make my house payments. Or my car payments...

He went on to discuss failure and how important it is. How pathetic is it that many schools don't allow children to get a grade because it isn't "fair" if one student gets a lower grade than another student? Everyone is always "equal". WHATEVER. We are setting children up for a huge slap in the face when they enter the real world: things don't always go your way and you don't always get a second - or fifth - chance to re-do your work. I don't know about you, but I have failed a lot of times. And, I am confident that I will fail many more times in my life. While it may not have been fun, I always learned something and grew from that experience. We, as a society, need to embrace failure because as Dave Ramsey said last night, it "chases us to excellence".

In the olden days, after the Great Depression, people became very aware of their finances, their decisions, and started to save their money. Saying "no" and taking responsibility for themselves and their decisions became the new "in" thing to do. We've gotten away from that mentality and the pendulum has GOT to start swinging back in that direction. Government is not the solution to all of our wants and needs. It's not the entity that is supposed to supply us with a job, a secure retirement, and healthcare.

We can be our own worst enemy or we can be our own solution. No one is more "fortunate" or "unfortunate" than someone else. As soon as we realize that we are individually responsible for our own decisions and where we end up in life, we will start to see improvements all around us. Just like we did in the olden days.