Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Imagine you are in the future. The economy has tanked, and things are much worse now. Unemployment is 26%; 17% of mortgages have foreclosed; inflation is rampant; borrowing is very costly; the bond market has crashed; our currency devalued. We can no longer borrow to pay down our national debt. 2 Million are homeless.
But, we are learning new ways to prosper and be fulfilled.
Now that families have to crowd into 2 or 3 rooms, we have learned to eat together, discuss our affairs, and help each other. With the electricity on 6 hours a day, we no longer depend upon electronic devices or spend much time on TV and the media. We work in our garden, share cooking and cleaning, and do all the repairs ourselves. With gas at $11 a gallon, we’ve learned to car pool with the neighbors and coworkers and share lunch treats. We’re discovering local sports, too, like trails, biking, local teams, and pickup games of all sorts. Now that schools have little money, we are no longer under the gun with national testing, and parents have time to help their children learn, plus all the time for sports, arts, music, trips and classroom talks. Our children see more of themselves in school since we insisted they learn useful things about life and themselves; they like school now.
In downsizing, we have had to sell off or donate so much excess stuff that we see what is essential and most meaningful and spend more time in that. In fact, getting by with a lot less work hours has meant a lot to ourselves and each other. Our community has come together, too, as we not share our skills and tools around cooking, gardening, repairing, per care, heating methods – in fact, about everything. We are learning gratitude.
I guess this is more the way it used to be. More sense of community, opportunity, fairness with each other, good schools, a great family life. We could use a teach-in like this every 80 years or so.
Dr. Schwartz, (The Paradox of Choice, 2004) documents how an overload of choice leads to anxiety, loneliness, stress and dissatisfaction - even depression. The polls show that the feelings that choices do matter has dropped over the years. Why?
He documents how the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment, and the more choices, the more stress and pressure. And once you reach an adequate subsistence income, further wealth shows no increase in measurable happiness. In short, an abundance of choice takes precious time, regret of lost opportunity, more uncertainty, more procrastination, more demanding choices, more risk of being let down, more responsibility, restless greed - more agony!
Paradoxically, the choices that contribute most to happiness bind and commit us passionately to loved ones, friends, work and the spiritual life - and gratitude.
About Dr. Raynard
Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, I have spent the last 35 years fulfilling my life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications. 
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