What to do in tough times... This afternoon I've been watching CNN and noticing that many of the commentators have no confidence in the ultimate success of the massive Wall Street Bailout Bill that was pushed through Congress and signed into law by President Bush yesterday. The idea is that by alleviating the banking industry of the huge debt from failed mortgages, banks will be restored to a condition from which they can continue to fulfill the American need for consumer and mortgage credit. That will allow us to continue buying cheap stuff from the Chinese, and keep our consumer economy spending along without regard to the environmental and social impact of rampant blind consumerism. We can keep on exporting our best jobs overseas while essential human services are in drastic decline.

Of course it is ironic and tragic that the government would be so concerned about corporate America while showing little concern about the thousands of people whose homes are being foreclosed each day. Help to homeowners in the first place would have protected the solvency of the loan institutions without the massive bailout. But Americans are not known for wisdom.

Real solutions seldom come from the top down, but arise from the people who care deeply and take action in their own lives. So what to do, what to do? Stop wringing your hands. Put them to use. You might start thinking of things you can make and sell in your own community. Practical and useful things. If you work with wood, and have some simple tools, make wooden utensils, cutting boards, practical containers and boxes. There will always be a need for such things. If you sew, or knit, make items of clothing. In Finland I was impressed by the knitting women in the market. They made gloves, mittens, caps and socks to sell to tourists. Their trained fingers could fly and many would work the needles as they sold their wares. Theirs is not an easy life, even with the intense skill they have developed, but as the Euros I left in their hands can attest, the work of skilled hands can make a difference.
I'm not suggesting you quit your day job and take up the work of a craftsman, but rather that you turn off the TV time, use that time to develop your skill and lift your own spirits and personal economy through the skilled engagement of your hands. It may seem an unbelievably small response to an incredibly large problem, but if you take the actions of of millions of hands as an alternative to the feelings of helplessness we all share, you may see the point. The decline of the American economy is directly connected to our disassociation from the practicalities of life presented by our hands and that fortunately, is something we can fix.