Difficult times can be helped
Posted 5 months ago
A recent political cartoon I stumbled upon through the internet brought to mind a serious question, how bad we off are we, really? The cartoon depicted a young child asking their grandmother what it was like to live through the great depression, and how it compares to today.
After hearing my grandmother tell many stories of what it was like for her, I have a few points for comparison:
One: Sugar. My grandmother received some sort of candy, chocolate or cake for her birthday. Because of the war, sugar was rationed and this treat really was something special. I can honestly say in the past 48 hours I have enjoyed all three of those treats, plus numerous other items that were rationed.
Two: Photos. These don’t seem that important, but in 1933 they were expensive and only something the well to do could afford. By the peak of the great depression the only photographs still common were those related to the news. Family photos didn’t exist anymore. My grandmother has a single photo of herself until she reaches about the age of five, when funds were a little easier to come by. I recently borrowed the picture from her, used modern technology to clean it up a bit and printed it larger, so she could have a four by six baby picture. When she saw it tears welled up in both our eyes. I don’t think there are any babies who don’t have photos, this depression.
Three: Farming. Although my grandmother was raised on a farm in Ontario I am under the impression that things weren’t much easier in Wheatland County throughout the dirty 30s. There are many stories of livestock being sold to purchase feed for the other animals. There was always the reality of not making ends meet that day, week or month. Those who had the ability to help did. This one I think can be said for our present situation, unfortunately not all those who are able to help have. I hope they do before it’s too late for a neighbour.
This is the real difference so far though. In the great depression it was a country wide effort to help those in need, which saved many from disastrous ends. This time around, it could be the same in that way. We, as a population, could step up to the plate and admit that we have too much sometimes and actually give a bit away. Spend a little of what you make on a worthy cause, your fellow man. Pick a venue, like the food bank, crisis shelter, a church, or anything that seems close to home, and lend a few hours of your time, a few dollars of a pay cheque or just the donation of some pasta. What seems small to you can make the difference between success and failure for someone else.
