Plenty of reasons for stress

In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a stressful time. The situation appears to become more serious each day.

I’ve often wondered how athletic coaches survive each season. They are pushed and pulled in so many directions and no way can they please everybody. Players complain, parents complain, fans complain. How are they able to throw off all the problems and not end up with a heart attack or a stroke?

However coaches’ problems are just one area of concern. We face many life-threatening situations in today’s world. One of the main worries is that of terrorism. How safe are we? Are we going to be attacked again on our own territory? How will we end the two wars in which we are involved now?

These are all concerns that keep us awake at night, causing headaches and digestive upsets

Then there are the weather related disasters, things over which we have no control. People on the west coast are battling fires, while some on the east coast are dealing with floods. In between the two coasts, tornadoes are often a major worry.

Added to all this is the present global financial crisis. We face problems we’ve never had to deal with in earlier times. Yes, I know we were confronted with the Great Depression at one time and shortly thereafter the war to end all wars. I certainly do not want to go through either of these again.

Families worry about being able to pay their bills, or if the breadwinner will be let go from his/her job. Some students have had to drop out of college or delay beginning college because of a lack of funds. This is sad because these young people are our future leaders and tax payers.

With all these problems it seems the world is in an upheaval. Did we not learn anything from our previous experiences? During and after the severe depression, my family along with many others, learned to be thrifty and conserve whatever could be repaired and reused.

In this day of immediate gratification, we spend money we don’t have. Some of our young adults do not realize that purchases charged to their credit cards have to be repaid at some point. However, they are not totally to blame for this, because their parents and other adults have done the same and set an unwise example for these persons.

In addition to all these problems, along comes swine flu. Are you as confused about this condition and how to treat it as I am? One doctor says those who are vulnerable should receive this vaccine, while another medical professional indicates, or at least hints, that this treatment may not be safe? The flu itself has been compared to the serious strain of flu that hit the world in 1918.

My grandmother related stories regarding that time and how bad it was. She remained free of this illness, but went from one neighbor to another to care for those who were suffering with it.

I find it really strange that at this critical time in our history that some persons want to delete the name of God in our pledge of allegiance. I think we need that now more than ever.erro

10-22-2009
#457