Hope Dies Last (December 2008)

Studs Terkel, in an interview with Alex Kotlowitz of the AARP magazine, said that, unlike the Great Depression, hope was possible during this economic crisis because of the differences between the culture of the 1920's and our culture today. Terkel also pointed to what we could learn from the Great Depression.

Back in the 1920's, Terkel said, people thought "the man" knew. The "big boys" were in charge because they knew more; they had greater skills. And what a shock, he said, when the "wise men" blew it, when they didn't know what to do. When that happened, how could a person hope? Who could get the country out of a crisis if the people in charge didn't know how? Many people were furious. They blamed themselves. They lost their self-respect. They drank more. They fought more.

Some people weathered the crisis, though, and he describes how we might emulate them. Some drew hope from lending a hand or being on the receiving end of a hug. Other lessons learned during the Depression were "Don't blame yourself. Turn to others. Take part in the community."

We might also draw strength from they ways we are different from the people of the 1920's. For instance, now, Terkel said, people don't have a lot of trust in "the man." We are doubters. We agree with Terkel that "the big boys are not that bright." We are activists because during the 60's civil right movement and protests of the Vietnam war, we saw the power of activism. We decide for ourselves and determine our own fates more frequently, sometimes joining with others to have the impact we desire. And now, more than ever, Americans are raising their voices and, as Obama keeps reminding us, crying out for change.

So, what's it gonna be? When our jobs and mortgages are disappearing, when our neighbors are losing their homes, when we worry about our safety, what will we choose? Will we allow our fear to destroy our hope? Will we grab onto whatever we can get no matter whom it hurts? Will we let go of honor and love and caring and giving and all of the values we have cherished? Will we say, "Anything goes?"

Or will we follow Turkel's advice and lend a hand, turn to others, and become a community? Will we use this crisis as a warning, and, as Obama's team keeps urging us, stand up for change? Will we stand up and say, "No more taking what you can get, when you can get it, in any way you can," because that sort of behavior got us where we are today. Will we stand up and say, "Pursuit of what's good for ourselves can only get us so far. Without caring for those around us and the environment and our education systems, without limiting our greed, we will all lose." Will we stand up and say, "Come, I will help you and you will help me. We need one another, now more than ever." Will we let go of our pride and our self- or other-blame and admit our need for help; in fact, can we come to realize that people are supposed to help one another, and so we should even expect to receive help. And can we develop the trust in the people around us, trust that people care and will be looking around for ways to help. Can we use this crisis as a time to become a community, to regain the benefits of being a community, to realize that the old metaphors of "individuals pulling themselves up by their bootstraps" no longer work or are relevant? Can we embrace our interdependence?

I say, YES, WE CAN! The only question left is "WILL WE?" I will! Will you join me?