Job Market Dropout

A few weeks ago I listened to a story on NPR (National Public Radio) about the U.S. jobless rate.  The Labor Department reported that our nation’s unemployment rate moved down to 7.6 percent in March, the lowest rate in 4 years.  However, this is not the good news it would seem to be.  There were expectations for 200,000 net new jobs, but only 88,000 materialized.  So why did the jobless rate decline?  It declined because almost a half million people dropped out of the labor force.  That’s right—nearly 500,000 people stopped working or looking for work.

I understand this because several months ago I stopped looking for work, too.  Why?  Pure frustration and a feeling of hopelessness.  There aren’t many jobs in Idaho and a large number of the jobs we have are low paying.  (Idaho has the highest percentage of minimum wage jobs in the country.)  When I moved to Idaho nearly 30 years ago, I had left a job which paid the equivalent of $10 per hour—and that was not considered to be a particularly good wage.  All these years later I see many jobs, often requiring experience, advertised at that same wage or less.  The sad truth is that the majority of Idaho jobs do not pay a living wage.  I looked diligently for a job for over a year, sometimes coming very close.  At one of the last interviews that I had, I was told that I was in the top four out of 150 applicants.  I didn’t get the job—close, but not close enough.  I am fairly certain that my age is working against me, but I can’t prove it.  Of course, we could use the money.  We are living off my husband’s retirement while trying to help a daughter who has been struggling to make it and is now also unemployed.

I felt like I was beating my head against a wall to get a low-paying job that I didn’t really want.  Where are the good paying, interesting, challenging jobs?  Where are the jobs, period?  I remember reading that the definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing and expect different results.

It was time to do something different—time to explore.  I decided to broaden my volunteer activities and make some commitments, something I couldn’t do while job hunting.  I have been helping in a political party office and soon I’ll be volunteering at the zoo.  I hope to find a project at the foodbank.  Of course, I continue to volunteer at my church.  Some people have suggested that I might find a job by volunteering, but, to be honest, my goal is to simply make a contribution to my community.

My second goal has been to stretch myself through classes and experimentation.  The creative side of me has been squelched for too long.  I have taken some classes on glass fusion—the colors are delightful and bring out an almost child-like joy in me.  I’m currently taking a class about drawing and painting from nature; we’re learning about using sketchbooks and journals.  I’m looking forward to going out and trying what I’ve learned.

Where will this lead me?  I don’t know at this point.  Perhaps I’ll attempt to re-enter the job market in another year—with a new point of view and perhaps some new skills.  Or perhaps I’ll decide I’m retired and find fulfillment entirely in volunteer work.  Perhaps I’ll become an artist.  Who knows?  In the meantime, I’ll be exploring.

Earth Day Reflection

On this Earth Day I think back to the earliest Earth days in the early 1970s.  We were so innocent then—innocent and ignorant.  I recall the Earth Day celebrations on the quad of my college campus—lots of music, tie-dyed shirts, and sun.  Recycling was just beginning.  My roommates and I collected aluminum cans.  It was a simple thing to do and it was one of the few things we could actually recycle.  This was the beginning of my recycling habit.

All these years later we know so much more about the threats to our environment.  I am not one of those people who approach environmental issues with an almost religious fervor.  I do appreciate those people who work to keep the rest of us aware.  However, I have never stopped recycling.  I don’t talk about it; I just do it.  It is so easy for us now.  So much of what we use can be recycled.  All we have to do is toss it into a special large container and it is picked up for us every other week.  We throw very little into the trash.  Why would we when recycling is so easy?  We are amazed at our neighbors who have overflowing trash cans.

Global warming is real; all climatologists agree on this.  It’s not a scientific uncertainty.  Look at the rate of the melting of the world’s glaciers.  Temperatures are rising worldwide and we are seeing more extreme storms causing massive damage.  Our oceans are rising.  Why the controversy?  It is greed pure and simple.  Corporations, which don’t tend to have a conscience, are all about making money.  They do not want to see environmental laws which interfere with their profits.  They hire lobbyists who buy politicians.  We must elect representatives who will vote to protect our environment.

As an individual, there are small things I can do.  Our public transportation system is rather limited here, but I do try to limit my driving by doing my errands on one or two days a week and in such a way that I’m not driving back and forth across town.  We mostly drive cars that get good gas mileage.  Yesterday, on a designated “green” Sunday, members of my church were encouraged to bike, walk or carpool to church.  A large number of people took up this challenge.  My husband and I made an 8-mile round trip bike ride that day.  We had a bit of an uphill climb to get there, but I’m thinking that we could do this other Sundays during nice weather.

What else can we do?  My husband, who does most of our grocery shopping, is very good about taking reusable bags with him when he goes to the grocery store.  We no longer buy bottled water, but drink from reusable plastic or metal bottles.  We rarely use pesticides on our property—I have found that these pests usually have natural predators that will take care of the problem for us if given a chance.  We don’t buy every new thing that comes along but make good use of what we have.   We use our belongings until they wear out.

Protection of the earth means caring for every living thing on it.  Species are going extinct at an alarming rate.  We need to work on preservation.  However, part of this process must involve the people who live in the affected area.  Hungry people are not going to care if a particular species of animal is dying off.  In some African countries, programs have been set up to provide eco-tours for foreign tourists.  This is a win-win situation because it provides income for local people and gives them an incentive for protecting their local animal species.

I think of those amazing photos of our planet taken by astronauts.  It is beautiful to behold.  Earth Day cannot just be celebrated just one day a year.  Earth Day should be every day.

Why?

Horror

Numbness

Why?

Words on the radio

No words

Why?

Joyful day

Turned tragic

Why?

Images

Of a familiar place

But so wrong

So violent

Why?

Survivors

From another tragedy

Running to heal

But hit again

Why?

Uniformed servants

Responded quickly

Battle scenes

Not Boston streets

Why?

Sirens

Ambulances

Blood

Horror

Why?

Yellow tape

Clues searched

City lockdown

Shock

An eerie silence

Settles over Boston

Why?

March on Hunger

Red shirts assembled

Worship centered on hunger

Sang praises to God

Walkers met outside

Umbrellas deflecting rain

Waiting to begin

We marched on hunger

Toward the Idaho Statehouse

Red shirts in light rain

The mood was upbeat

We stood at the Capitol

Hunger was discussed

Red ribbons were tied

To ropes that each person grasped

Then we walked and prayed

Prayers to end hunger

As we walked ‘round the Statehouse

Prayers for the hungry

We’re just beginning

The event lasts the whole month

This March on Hunger

Build an awareness

Of the causes of hunger

Collect lots of food

Plenty food exists

Problem is distribution,

Heartless politics

Red shirts organize

Work to end hunger worldwide

One step at a time

A Season of Nonviolence

At the beginning of Lent about 150 people in my church signed a pledge promising to monitor and work on limiting the violence in their daily lives.  I was one of those people.  Each of us took home a purple bracelet stamped with “A Season of Nonviolence” to remind us of our commitment.  Some people give up a favorite food for Lent—our sacrifice was to give up violence.

With this commitment we acknowledged that peace begins within us, our families, our faith communities, and beyond.  We agreed to show respect for ourselves and others in word and action.  We said we would communicate carefully, peacefully, and eliminate violence in our speech.  We would listen to others, especially to those with whom we disagree.  We pledged to apologize when we hurt others, and forgive those who hurt us.  We would respect and care for nature.  We said we would practice nonviolent recreation.  We pledged to be courageous and challenge violence in all forms.

There were those at my church who didn’t take the pledge—they simply couldn’t do it.  Some of the people who did said it was hard.  My pastor confessed that she had to give up one of her favorite TV shows, CSI, and switched to the cooking channel instead.  One 15-year-old boy took his pledge very seriously.  He switched from spring football to track.  He said that he liked the nonviolent approach—it made him feel much calmer.  This teenage boy was not only brave enough to tell his peers, who didn’t understand, but he also stated his view for TV cameras in an interview about our church project.

And me?  I found it a bit easier than some of my fellow members.  By nature I am a fairly quiet, nonviolent person.  I am not easily angered.  I don’t hit or throw things.  I seldom yell.  I don’t like violent TV shows or movies so I rarely watch them.  However, I became aware of how pervasive violence is in our society.  Threads of it run through our daily lives and we are oblivious.  While I did not have to switch my bracelet as often as others (we were to switch wrists each time we encountered violence), I found violence in both expected and unexpected places.

It is hard to listen to the news or read the paper without finding violence in it.  In fact, I would say it is impossible.  Our media knows that it sells and they highlight it.  I found it difficult to avoid this sort of violence.  I encountered a violent scene in an unexpected place—I attended a special dance show aimed at elementary students.  A local dance company performed excerpts from some of their recent dances.  I was surprised when they included a piece from a dance based on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, a very violent play.  In this dance the queen was given a plate of something red, obviously bloody, which she stuffed into her mouth.  During the question and answer period, one child asked what she was eating.  The adult avoided answering and told the child to research it.  Another place where I encountered violence was at a church leadership conference that I attended with my pastor and a few others.  War-like language was used multiple times plus we were even shown a picture of Jesus holding an assault rifle.  Seriously?

To my dismay, I even caught myself a few times.  I lost my patience with my adult daughter and yelled at her over the phone—totally counter-productive.  While listening to a radio report about North Korea’s provocative threats against my country, I found myself wishing violence against those leaders.  I was ashamed.  During a conversation I was told something that totally frustrated me and “I could just shoot her” popped out of my mouth.  Oops.  Of course, I didn’t mean it.  Why did I say it?

Violence in all forms is woven through the fabric of our society.  It is so common that we often fail to notice it.  The first step in developing a more peaceful world is to notice the violence.  Peace begins from deep within us—from love and respect for others and the world around us.  As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will.  Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being.”  To achieve a nonviolent society, we must first learn to sit and listen to others so we may truly understand them.  Nonviolence requires commitment from all of us.  “Nonviolence is not inaction.  It is not discussion.  It is not for the timid or weak.  Nonviolence is hard work.  It is the willingness to sacrifice.  It is the patience to win.”  (Cesar Chavez)

Today is Easter Sunday, the end of Lent and my church’s “Season of Nonviolence.”  We were invited to place our purple bracelets into the offering plate.  I did so knowing that from now on I will be more aware of what I say and do.  I will strive to live with love and peace in my heart, and try to summon the courage to speak out against violence and for justice in our world.  Nonviolence begins with the individual.  It begins with me.

3/31/2013