After a conversation with a co-worker at my field placement on Tuesday, I cannot help but think about the economy and my friends, yet again. It is the ever present topic on people’s minds and in the school system they are giving the students mock interviews to practice their skills and be, hopefully, more competitive when interviewing for a job. I don’t mention it to discuss its merits or short comings but to point out that everything, everyone, and every job is being affected by this recession. These kids are now faced with having to compete with more people for the same jobs, people with far more work experience or connections with someone at the desired job. In other words, more people are now competing for fewer jobs. No matter what your political stripes, this is obviously not good. People are going from rich to broke overnight, and more importantly, people who were struggling to get by before are now being forced to make decisions no one should have to make about basic needs such as food or shelter.
There is no easy answer, people will not be happy with the solution, but people providing social services are certainly going to be needed and valued. With all the negativity surrounding us I want to leave you with a quote from American author Mark Twain “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.� So let’s remember to laugh, and smile even when we don’t feel like it.

Peace, happiness, and prosperity to you all.