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The economy is dressed in wolf’s clothing, and many people fear for their livelihoods. It’s no wonder there is so much fear about what the future might bring. However, there are glimmers of hope. On one hand, we see recreations of Titanic first-class dinners drawing sellout crowds. On the other hand, we see trailer factories go belly up, putting many hardworking Northeast Oregonians out of a job. For some people, economic angst is just a headline. For others, it’s a way of life.
No doubt about it, many small businesses and individuals are facing tough times. Many people are worried about their jobs, their credit and just putting food on the table for their families. Still, when fear rules decision making, sometimes poor decisions can be made and as a result the entire economy can suffer. People need to be frugal and sensible, to proceed on the basis of cautious optimism based on the best possible predictions of what the future might bring. They need to keep searching for employment opportunities and areas of business growth and promotion, and not to give up or crawl in a hole when a foul wind blows.
With a jobless rate of about 15 percent, and more clouds on the horizon, it’s understandable that hope is in short supply, that fear is threatening to run rampant. The natural resources sector has been hammered repeatedly. Other industries are suffering from the credit crunch and the manufacturing meltdown.
But there are opportunities. And we need to remember a favorite old saying, Never borrow sorrow from tomorrow.
Of course, some fear is a healthy thing. As Hannah Arendt said, “Fear is an emotion indispensable for survival.”
But the way to approach the future is with knowledge, not with panic. As James Thurber said, “Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.”
It’s time we looked this economic fear in the eyes and utilized the strength of our pioneer forebearers to face this challenge. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson also weighed in on the subject. “Don’t waste life in doubts and fears,” Emerson said.
Mood feeds on itself. And fear is a mood controller. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Despite what sometimes seems like overwhelming challenges, we need to proceed into the future with cautious optimism. Americans are generally believers in the entrepreneurial spirit. We may be down now. But we will not stay down, forever. We believe the future holds promise.
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Opinion 
