As the year closes, many people are talking about change. Not just the normal “New Year resolutions” that tend to be a review of what remains from last year’s promises, but changes that are being imposed.
In Barbados, there is a growing group of people who fall into this category. Beyond those in the public service who are on notice of job reductions, there is the ripple effect that occurs when money stops circulating.
In fact, even those who are well insulated from the economic contractions are feeling the repercussions as they slow their own spending and take care not to aggressively display their prosperity. Some of these nest eggs are tied up in real estate whose value has dipped, rentals to tenants who can’t pay and other investments that don’t yield the anticipated dividends. The money spent on security services is rising.
There is a “working middle class” who have been traditionally qualified for employment by education, adherence to accepted norms and a network of connections who now feel a different type of change. Not only are the jobs shrinking, so is the nature of work. Their very employability is in question by those making hiring decisions but also in their own hearts.
There is a movement from confidence to uncertainty. Cars, mortgages, school fees and maintaining a certain lifestyle, have placed them in the “golden handcuffs” of needing a consistent pay cheque. Most are ill-equipped to “fly without a net”.
Then, of course, there is another group; let’s call them “freelancers”, who have been tightening their belts, cutting and contriving, and balancing intermittent cash flows for a number of years.
Their circumstances existed even before the financial crisis was announced. It is fashionable today to speak of them as entrepreneurs but many are compelled by circumstances to be “self-employed”.
Some may not have gone to the right schools, chosen trades that don’t have social cachets, run afoul of the law, or are just trying to get by.
They have persevered with a stoic belief that they would survive; perhaps even prosper someday. Ironically, this group tend to be the heaviest players of the lottery and relentlessly frequent convenience stores and fast food outlets.
It is this group that operates an “underground economy” based on cash, which can teach us the most about the tenets of resilience, innovation and faith for the journey ahead.
There are also the indigent who are unable, for various reasons, to fend for themselves. Disease, physical and mental impairment, and the indifference of family, friends and society, often deprive them of hope and opportunities to feel truly human.
This group is one to which any and all of us can be consigned if we live long enough. This group has much to teach us about what is really essential to our individual and societal well-being.
With all the speculation about International Monetary Fund requirements, very little of it examines the character of the nation we wish to become.
There are still many who are calling for “quick fixes” and are in denial that they are the ones who must change. We don’t live in this world by ourselves and whatever we have obtained or achieved is not just for our own use. Each of these groups brings needs and contributions. Prepare yourself to be a contributor. God bless.