by Ellen Bergstrom

Created on: June 09, 2009

It may seem that some kind of lunatic or smart a% @ wrote the title above. With General Motors, representative of our largest industry in Michigan, the automobile industry, going out of business, many other businesses big and small cutting down, laying off workers, reducing the benefits and salaries of the remaining workers, or even going out of business entirely, how could a person in their right mind make such a preposterous statement.

If there is anything that can be agreed upon, though, is it not that we are indeed at a time of great change. Change is uncomfortable for most people. During change, we find out that the things we wanted to pretend are solid are not. We find out that businesses like General Motors may not always be there, or have to change, radically in ways unimaginable in the near past. We find out we cannot drive our Hummer, our Cadillac, or big Buick or whatever, for a few years and then stroll out to the car lots to look at the improvements in the new model. How are we to go to car lots and see the smaller, more fuel-efficient models? That just doesn't set right. How are we going to impress ourselves and others with small cars! What kind of change is that!

Some may see the irony in all of that, but still it remains, many of us do in fact expect to finish whatever education we think we should get and then get a job and make a decent living. That is the way it always was and always should be. Not to do so, not to have a job, that is called a lazy bum, right? That's just not the American way! Perhaps that is correct. Perhaps, there is another option. Perhaps we could still work without a job. Perhaps we could learn to make our own jobs.

Many have already learned this and are doing it right now. But for those who haven't, that is crazy. Is it crazy or is it just scary? It is of course scary because if we try to create some new free-lance job or small business, we put ourselves out there for others to scrutinize. Maybe we will develop an idea that may have lingered within us for many years and finally we dare to present it to others. We expect others to accept it and pay us immediately and then, immediately start making a good living if not a fortune. If this does not immediately happen, we will instantly consider ourselves a failure. Or perhaps we never start anything and only imagine right away that it is far too scary, too incredible to even think about doing such a thing. How ridiculous to even think

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