Abe F. March

Those meager years that began in 1929.  I was not ten years old, but remember the hard times.  I didn’t know they were hard times and felt it was a way of life.  Following the depression came the war years – a continuation of austerity.  The frugal mindset helped them overcome the shortages.  There were rationing stamps that included food items as well as things like gasoline.

Women took jobs in factories doing the work formerly done men.  

What sticks with me is how people banded together within the community, helping one another.  They traded ration stamps to get things they needed.  Today they would probably be labeled communists or socialists.  How sad it is to turn something good, like helping your fellow man, into a stigma of something bad.  The family was important.  Children took care of their parents in old age.

So what happened to this communal mindset or mentality?  When did the feeling of “me” replace the “we” mentality?  I don’t know the cause, but it appears to have happened after the war.  Seeking independence, many kids left the farm and migrated to the cities seeking greater opportunity for prosperity.  That was seen as progress and the sign of the times.

Not every one made it and many returned home for security.  The security net was the family unit.  I’m guessing here, but it seems that as the family units declined, the independent workers needed a security net provided by the government.

As we are on the brink of a new recession/depression, it is time to consider ways to survive.  Helping one another is highly significant.  The “me” must be turned into “we”.  “United we stand, divided we fall” is a truism.  Food, clothing and shelter remain as the basic human needs.  In tough times, the “wants” take a backseat.  That doesn’t mean we should not aspire for better condition to fulfill the wants, but that our priorities require adjustment.  

Giving without the thought of return (what’s in it for me), is not easy to do with the programmed mentality of “me”.   

I can’t recommend a specific book to read, but I can suggest seeking information about the hard times of the past and looking for the grit that turned the bad times into the good times.   

Check out the following URL about the Great Depression of 1929. http://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/p/1929_Depression.htm

“What Ended the Great Depression of 1929?

In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected President based on his promises to create Federal Government programs to end the Great Depression. Within 100 days the “New Deal” was signed into law. This created 42 new agencies designed to create jobs, allow unionization, and provide unemployment insurance. Many of these programs, such as Social Security, the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), and FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) are still here today, helping to safeguard the economy.

However, the extent of the Great Depression was so great that government programs alone could not end it. Unemployment remained in the double-digits until 1941, when the U.S. entry into World War II created defence-related jobs”.