These harsh economic times have been trying for so many people… not only in our own families, but in our communities, in our state, in our nation, and in the world. As a career counselor, I see people from all walks of life, particularly in our Career and Life Transitions group, where we serve a client base of people who are over 25 years old returning to college to re-train or educate so that they can support themselves and their families. These people come from the most diverse socio-economic backgrounds one can image. There are individuals who, either through no fault of their own or from bad judgment have found themselves displaced and homeless, and/or recently released from prison with no resources, no work skills, and no job.
Societal norms cause employers to be suspicious of individuals with a criminal record. I know this first-hand. I worked a human resources manager in my last career, in charge of hiring and training. I worked in a retail establishment, and it was against company policy to hire anyone with a criminal record for fear that they might re-offend. Everybody makes mistakes, and sometimes we make really bad errors in judgment. Some people get caught. We lock people up like a very unpleasant time-out, and hope they learn their lessons…but if no one will take a risk and give ex-offenders a second chance, how will they support themselves and feed their families? Looking at the situation from a systems perspective, how will these individuals practice responsible living and contribute to the community? How will they apply the lessons they’ve learned in prison? Everybody needs to eat, have a place to live, to feel accepted, to belong to a community, to feel connected. Without basic needs met, research shows it is highly likely to re-offend out of perceived lack of options. Is the answer to keep locking people up in a cycle that never ends? How draining is this on our economy? How safe is this to the people in our community in the long term? I think there is a proposition right now in our county to build bigger jails and lock people up for a long, long time. Is this really a sustainable solution or just a quick-fix answer to a re-occurring problem that continues to escalate?
Some of the people in my group live out their cars – but you’d never know; they may be in recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction. These individuals somehow manage to pull it together, get clean and sober, and are taking the steps to better their lives through education. There are veterans in my group too, who have fought for our nation to protect us. Re-entry into civilian life is a trip in itself, as I have seen the effects of war manifest itself in post-traumatic stress disorder. Our group includes individuals who have moved here because their spouses have gained local employment as division heads. There are single and married adults who have found themselves unemployed because of the economy, and individuals who are recently divorced without means to support themselves. There are people who struggle to make ends meet because earning minimum wage is not enough, and English might be their second language.
It is an interesting place to be, to be reinventing oneself through necessity. It takes courage. I know. I was there many times. I’ve found that the solution is to keep learning and growing - however painful the lessons - to keep gaining new work skills and applying them, to keep reinventing yourself so that when the economy is bad, you have a plethora of desirable work skills to offer.
I also believe that with the proper training, individuals can always support themselves by offering a product or service that is needed. I have found that in the worst of times, even when people have no money, they will find a way to pay for therapy and counseling…because counseling can deliver positive results faster than by trying to figure it out without guidance. It’s like being lost in a strange time and place…that’s exactly what unemployment and transition feels like! You can reach out and help yourself by getting a guide and map, and following directions to your destination (of course there are those that get a map and take no action). Or you can skip the guide, the map and just ask people along the way. Hopefully you speak the local language well enough to communicate your needs and receive comprehensive directions. Or you can continue to wander around lost.
I am constantly amazed that the human spirit can be so resilient. In the group there is a sense of sharing, camaraderie and a shared vision for a better future. I have heard people offer information to others in need, and I have witnessed miracles happen especially now, in the toughest economic times… the miracle of HOPE. Hope is bigger than any individual – it is the power of one person trying to become a better person, mindfully choosing to set depression aside and contribute to a cause bigger than him or herself. It’s the lovely sharing of food, friendship and networking to help others find situations that lead to sustainable employment. The beauty is, that in helping one another we help ourselves. By offering hope to one another, we become hopeful ourselves. Now more than ever, it is necessary to rely on more than a job – if we have one – or a government unemployment check to sustain us. It’s harsh enough out there and the competition is fierce. We need each other to exchange ideas and resources, to talk about our problems and to find solutions. We need to contribute as part of a whole. We need to feel valued. We need to be heard. This is how we learn to first become sustainable, and then to prosper… through contributions of effort and expertise, and by offering hope to one another.
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
