fortuitous

He was sitting, slouched and frail, in the chair he’s been sitting in every time I’ve visited since he moved. She’s sitting on the bed, only a few feet from him, next to me. He looks over at her and then around the room, not looking at anything. Far away.

“I was lucky twice in my life. That the Germans surrendered before we crossed the Rhine was the first and the second was Dort here.” His eyes focused on her as she smiled and nodded though she probably hadn’t heard his words.

He was born in the late twenties, the eldest of more than ten children, and saw the depression first hand. He was in WWII and worked his entire life. He used to hunt and play baseball. Now he sits in that chair, day to day, barely able to walk.

There’s much made of the current market fluctuation, complete with haste, exaggeration and scare-tactics. As soon as I heard the first exclamation of our pending doom, I think back to that day, sitting on that aged twin bed.

He has been a provider for his entire life, first for his sisters and brothers and then his wife and children, one of which now provides for me. His dry wit and sarcasm poked fun at his mediocrity but I never once heard or heard of him being down on himself. Only now, after his body has failed him and his wife’s mind is distant, has the spark in his eyes faded.

Such a simple statement. The weight of it hit me that day and is probably why it comes to mind now. It puts so much in context without complaint or explanation.He’s lived through so much and yet sums it easily.

In contrast, the media fills with fear, dark predictions and confusion. The world is falling and action must be taken immediately without debate or absorption. The country is crumbling and we need to understand the direness of the situation without discussing alternatives.

Those in power now ask directly for the masses to sacrifice thousands of their own money to hand them hundreds of billions to relieve companies that have made short-sighted, ignorant and outright greedy decisions for decades. They have assisted in this power and money grab, taking away checks to their power. Now we must realize their error and save them from inevitable failure.

That man, sitting in that chair that day, lived through a depression and worked to provide. In the thirty years since the absurd concept of “trickle-down economics”’ first reared its demonic head, he has yet to feel the smallest.

No one I know has directly benefited from an economic theory that’s now failing. The top one percent of our population controls almost forty-percent of the nation’s wealth. The top is growing heavy on the back of the other ninety-nine percent. It was bound to crumble under its own weight eventually.

How will I fair if the economy actually lives up to all the black-cloud predictions? Will I be able to earn enough to keep my head above water and reach the goals I’ve roughly outlined? Can I be the provider I’d like to be?

Will I be able to provide a summation that’s reflective, thoughtful and poignant? Or will I rant about everything I wish I’d done or how I was subtly oppressed?