Kicking It Old School
Having experienced alternating consecutive quarters of declining output, we are clearly in the midst of a roiling recession. Experts argue the technicalities of whether America is in the midst of an economic depression. The lay answer is that we are sitting on the edge of that precipice. The Economist defines an economic slump as a period where “output falls by at least 10%; a depression is an even deeper and more prolonged slump”.
Definitional technicalities aside, it is difficult to avoid the emotional impact of bank failures, home foreclosures, layoffs at our most stable and historical companies, and fluctuating gas and food prices. American economic hardships have local, national and global impacts. Our families hurt, our communities are challenged, and the world suffers. In spite of the crass way in which George W. Bush told citizens to go shopping after 9/11, a gentler truth is that in our current economic structure, we must make purchases to keep the economy alive. Japan’s recession of the 1990’s is called The Lost Decade precisely because consumers refused to spend (although this analysis does, admittedly, simplify the details of their credit asset crisis).
Our politicians have given us no guidance. President Obama asked for bipartisan support for his stimulus package which is designed, among other things to provide jobs for the many who have lost jobs, to stabilize roads, bridges, levees and dams and to build schools (most of which are in our poorest communities). The president received no support from Congressional Republicans and three votes from Republican Senators after having to significantly weaken the bill. On This Week in Washington (2/22/09), California’s Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, (R) was indignant about this non-partisan behavior. He stated the importance of being team players for the sake of the country (paraphrased): Imagine, he said, that you are a patient who has just received a diagnosis of cancer and a group of highly trained and respected doctors come into your hospital room. You have high expectations of them. Instead of giving you a plan for recovery, they start arguing. This only makes you feel fearful and unsafe. This is what the Congress has done.
Perhaps 2009 is not 1929; we are, after all, now a credit-based economy rather than a post-industrial structure that maintains components of local agriculture and relationships. We cannot tell a smiling Mr. Smith at the corner store that we will pay him for our groceries when we can. It is clear that whether our depression is Great or small, we are experiencing a national form of hopelessness. Because some banks and lending institutions have failed even in how they have used governmental bailout funds, our fears are increasingly heightened. Our savings have disappeared. For the first time in generations, our children and grandchildren may do less well than we. As is required for any kind of emotional despondency, we require treatment. Soon and in a hurry.
Luckily for us, treatment is easier than some might imagine. In this portion of Lincoln’s definition of democracy, this cure is “by the people.” Our healing combines two old chestnuts: All politics is local. Love they neighbor (as thyself). Having lived through hard times, including the Great Depression, my maternal grandmother, Laura Jones, knew how to stretch a dime. She made wonderful meals and shared her love through food. Her example of how to create political change, create community, and love those around her teaches us how to get through our current economic and emotional depressions.
Here is what she did: she made soup.
Pot One: Family Pot – Meat, potatoes, and vegetables. The family would sit together at the table and talk about what was going on in the world. They would thank God for their blessings. They would invite their boarders and various church members and friends to eat with them. They felt blessed with plenty.
Pot Two: Community Pot- Meat scraps, potatoes, vegetable peels. My grandmother left this pot of soup out on the back porch, along with bread, and a tub of soapy water and rags for homeless men (then called hobos). She also made sleeping pallets for them in the garage. These men felt blessed with plenty.
Pot Three: Animal Stew – Bones, potatoes, and gravy. From the final leaving of the first pot’s ingredients, my grandmother made a stew for the hungry animals in the neighborhood. My grandfather, John Jones, would take this steaming kettle out to the back of the garage. My grandparents fed the neighborhood animals through the 1990’s. Their owners did not even try to feed them. The animals felt blessed with plenty.
Times have certainly changed. But thinking about how we can use the little we have to create community is an idea that never goes out of style. No more back to the future; these days we have to kick it old school. Pot Two is no longer necessarily a safe choice, but sharing items that we don’t need with a shelter is a great idea. Have clothing swaps with friends. Sell old books. An uncluttered environment is one into which new opportunities are more likely to find flower. Volunteer with your children at homeless and animal shelters; we are all in this together. Get together with friends to have one movie and pizza night a month so that the economy does not entirely tank. And the rest of the time, make soup. No cans. Soup is a fun process so get everyone involved in chopping and dicing. Share the process, the product and great conversation with those you love. As the soups’ liquid goodness slides warms you, be thankful for the wonder of small things. All politics is local. The strength of democracy starts with you and yours at your kitchen table.
The recipe for my favorite soup? Called Spring Greens Soup its perfect for a Soup Party because it takes lots of chopping!
Written for Urban Life Northwest