Get Mad as Hell at the Recession---and Don't Take It Anymore!

By Si Dunn

What are you waiting for? Godot? A government bailout? Manna from heaven?

Yes, the financial news is bad, all bad. More bailouts, more layoffs, more fiscal stupidity everywhere we look.

And yes, we're all down. But we're still not out in this bad-and-getting-worse recession. No matter how hard we have been slammed to the turf, we are still not out of the game.

When you get knocked down, what matters is how quickly you get back up and start hitting back.

So get up. Hit back. Any way you can.

Turn Off the TV

Don't just sit there watching the Dow Jones and NASDAQ and the increasingly gloomy economists on the news.

Go outside and do something. Fix something on your house or car. Help a friend or neighbor or relative fix something.

Invite a friend or several friends over for coffee and conversation.

Contact distant relatives more often and go visit nearby relatives. Let them know you still care, no matter what else is happening.

Lighten up your load. Clean out a closet and get rid of some clothes you no longer need. Donate them to a charity that helps people who need more clothing. Clean out unwanted stuff in your garage and donate it, too, or recycle it. Having too much stuff sitting around just drains your psychic energy.

Spend some money on stuff you need. No, you don't have a lot to spend, and neither does almost anyone else. But if we all spend a little bit on things we need or want, we can help people keep their jobs. We can help keep money moving in the economy. This is vital.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Eat out every now and then. And add an extra dollar or two or three to the tip, whether the waitperson really gave you good service or not. He or she may be having a bad day or worrying about a sick child at home or just scared of going broke. A few extra bucks tonight could really help.

Do some things you've always wanted to do. Take up guitar, aerobic dancing, acting, bird watching, historical re-enactments, model airplane building, whatever. Read some of the books you have put off reading because you have been too "busy." See some movies, some plays. Go to some local concerts and recitals.

If you attend a church, get more involved. Maybe someone has started a program to help out the local food bank. Make a donation and volunteer to help. Put a little extra in the collection plate for the church and its staff, too. It's tax deductible. Sing in the choir, even if your main contribution is to just stand there, move your mouth and make the choir look bigger.

Improve your health. If you need to lose weight, start exercising. Spend a little less on groceries and use some of the saved money to fund a new hobby, a new membership, a new subscription or a new charitable contribution.

Find a New Focus

Get more focused on your community and its needs. You can't save the world. You can't stop the recession. But maybe you can help save an historic building from the wrecking ball and turn it into an arts center that serves as a magnet, a training center, and a rewarding outlet for people with creative talents. Maybe you can volunteer to help a preschool apply for state and federal grants. Maybe you can teach a community-education class or lead a volunteer recycling program.

Get more focused on your family and its needs and your friends and their needs. Those who need the most help may be those closest to you. Let love help push away the doom and gloom. You may have to help keep relatives and close friends from giving in to despair if they have lost their jobs and their homes. You may have to help them in other ways, too, including financial. It's just the way things are right now. Yes, maybe they did make some poor choices, or maybe they didn't. But what matters now is getting through this terrible downturn. We can all use the lessons learned to build better and more sensible lives later.

We will get through this. Together. But only if we get up and start punching back now that we have been knocked down.

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