Saturday, November 21, 2009

I Think We're Alone Now.

Our neighborhood seems to be deserted. The house to one side of us has been empty since we moved in here. They've been doing lots of work on it and it looks nice from the outside but nobody has moved in. I think they are selling it. The house across the street from us is now vacant. The people moved out a few days ago. The two houses near that are also empty. In the other direction on the other side of the street is a church. There are probably less than 10 cars there on Sundays so it's not a very well attended church. As you go down the road there are more vacant houses. I was thinking about this as I drove down to the nearby grocery store. I don't know if this is due to the bad economy or something else. The houses here are real cheap. You can get a fixer upper for under $10,000. I think that people just don't have the money to buy one. Most of the jobs that people held here were in the oil industry. Many were employed on the oil rigs or doing something that was indirectly related to it. Most of those jobs are gone now. I think half of this city is getting some type of government assistance. I'm not sure if it's like this everywhere or if we are worse off than other places. It's almost like people just accept the poverty here as a way of life. Many of the houses are very old, tiny and run down. Judging from the ones that Russell and I cleaned after people moved out, most of them did not care about the filth that they lived in. Mouse droppings, cock roaches crawling everywhere, fast food wrappers and cigarette butts on the floor is something I could not live with but these people lived in it. I just don't see how. Maybe they are so used to the poverty that they see no way out. Or it could have been the way that they were raised. I'll never understand it.Is this the way our current generation was brought up? If so, we (in general) did not do a very good job. I see many young people who have no work ethics, are lazy and think everything should be handed to them.
As I write this I have to remind myself..... people created this reality for themselves. Life is all about choices. Life is about learning from our experiences and everything happens for a reason.

4 comments:

  1. I think it's the same everywhere, and it's fueled by the fact that - even as people are having less and less money - house prices are rising. Yes, you may be able to get a fixer upper for next to nothing. But then you have to get it fixed up. That's the part that costs the money. You either pay through your nose to have it already done. Or, you get the home, then you pay through your nose to find someone to fix up the house afterwards. Either way, you need money.

    Money, money, money... It always comes down to that!

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  2. Sounds like the same thing I have seen living in low-income apartments. Garbage in the hallways, urine (dog or human?)in the elevator, destroying property in the public areas, stealing, pulling attached signs off the walls...and I don't see what their apartments are like. I wouldn't be the least surprised to see the insides are as filthy as the carpeting outside their doors. I do not understand it either. Seems to be part depression and part anger. That thinking they deserve more and not being grateful for what they do have--is like a disease. When times are hard and you can manage to get by (and here it is with some help with lower rent even) how can you not be grateful?! And the living in messy dirty places--?? I wonder if that isn't either learned, like you said, or depression and loss of hope? Breaks my heart to see people think so little of themselves--so little of others. :(

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  3. I hear you...we do create our realities...I wish more people would realize it, believe it...and begin to change the world with new beliefs.

    Hugs to you Barb.

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  4. Nothing like living in an increasely ghost town.

    You wrote this so well, I could almost see the tumbleweeds.

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