The Good Side Of Thanksgiving And The Bad Side Of Thanksgiving

thanksgiving-dinner-photo-by-marcus-quiqmireI have to admit – of all the holidays on our calendar, Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. It is a time to gather with family and friends, and it is a time to give thanks for all the good things that have happened to us this year. And the remarkable acts of generosity that happen during this time of the year remind all of us that there are still people out there that are trying to do the right thing and to be lights in their communities. But of course all is not well in America this Thanksgiving. As I write about so often on The Economic Collapse Blog, poverty is growing, close to 50 million Americans are struggling with hunger, and the number of people sleeping in homeless shelters in New York City just hit an all-time record high. Sadly, even with such great need all around us, Americans continue to be some of the most wasteful people on the entire planet. In fact, one newly released report says that Americans will throw away 200 million pounds of turkey this Thanksgiving alone… (Read More...)

Are You Addicted To Bad News?

Are you addicted to bad news?  Do you have an addiction to “gloom and doom”?  Well, if so, then 2011 has been a banner year for you so far.  There are plenty of websites out there that do nothing but track the latest doom.  Some people actually seem to enjoy it when a new disaster strikes.  But we shouldn’t rejoice over bad news.  Millions of people are deeply hurting around the world because of all of the horrible things that have happened so far this year.  Tens of millions more are going to be deeply suffering soon as our world becomes increasingly unstable.  It is important to tell the truth about what is going on in our world because we sure aren’t getting it from the mainstream media, but we should never get to the point where we are totally addicted to the news cycle and are “hungry” for another piece of bad news to report.  Our world is falling apart and that is a very sad thing.  There are going to be come incredibly sad times to come.  But that doesn’t mean we have to be depressed.  It is when things are the darkest that the greatest heroes are needed.  Instead of cursing the darkness, let us all decide to be lights in the darkness. (Read More...)