What recession?

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Ali, pictured above, was a major inspiration for this post about the recession when we originally posted it a year ago. At quick glance, you couldn’t always tell that Ali was homeless because he always took great pride in his appearance. No matter what his circumstances, Ali made sure he always looked “sharp,” when out in public.

Ali was born in Morocco and emigrated to the United States in the fifties. He spoke many languages including both french and english fluently. He was a United States Marine and proud of that fact. Ali was always full of joy and you never heard a complaint uttered from his lips.

He moved to Miami two years ago in search of a better quality of life and to get away from the harsh New York City winters. We recently heard that Ali passed away on a Miami street late last month. Thank you for helping us all to remember what is really important in the world. Rest In Peace Ali.

What recession?

For people living on the outside of the American dream, double digit unemployment, having to cut back on luxuries and struggling to make ends meet are all normal parts of their existence.

They did not participate in the internet boom of the late nineties, all they experienced was the bust. They didn’t benefit from the recent financial boom, led by the hedge fund “geniuses” during this decade. They only experienced the subsequent crash.

When they hear people speaking about how things are getting worse, they find some humor in this because “things getting worse” is just a fact of life. They marvel at the weakness of the privileged, who find it difficult to deal with a new economic reality that is nothing new to those who are not so privileged. On the contrary, it is a life they were born into and have had to live with daily, forcing them to develop the skills to deal with difficult situations. Hopefully tough times will make us all take a closer look at the skills of those who rarely get to experience the euphoria of “boom” times and whose resilience, perseverance and creativity helps them to survive the inevitable busts, crashes and disappointments that come with life.