Day 1 of the Recently Unemployed

It's Friday, September 25, 2009, otherwise known as Day 1 of my unemployment. I just lost my job of 13+ years. A severe global recession is going on, with no foreseeable end in sight. So far, today has been calm. No tears, like Wednesday and no time to think, like yesterday.



I know I'm not alone. I have many friends who are in the same boat. I believe there are millions like me---like us---in this country. Ageism is not supposed to be legal, but we all know it's practiced. Even the State of CA Dept of Fair Employment and Housing notes on one of their forms that discrimination can (and evidently does) occur starting at age 40.



At any rate, something is going on in this country like nothing that has ever been seen before...a subculture if you will, of people considered middle-aged, who have lost their jobs and might never be employed by a small or large enterprise ever again. People who might love to start their own business but are financially drained and therefore unable to do so. People who are too young to retire, but too old for hire.



It occurred to me that there is power in numbers. What if all of these millions of people could get organized somehow? Start with a blog page, a medium through which to share experiences and ideas. Find ways to help each other and quite possibly make change happen...not only for us---although I would be lying if I denied my own self-interest here---but for those young people who will one day soon find themselves in this very same predicament.



We may be middle-aged and older, but with those wrinkles come experience and knowledge, problem-solving skills, and emotional stability.



We may feel powerless, but I don't think we really are. There's power in numbers and healthy solutions to problems. Isn't that how AARP and the NAACP got started? People abused, who fought for change?



Maybe I'm dreaming, but let's see what we can do together. Let's see if we can make change happen.



Feel free to share your thoughts.