Above the Law

As Americans, we tend to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of life quite easily. It is built into our culture. As a society of consumers, we have disposable income we can use to go on vacations, eat at fancy restaurants and buy expensive commodities. With all of these distractions in our lives, it becomes very easy to lose sight of the most important thing in all of our lives: family.

I know there are times in my life when I am busy with many things ranging from academics to my social life, and I sometimes find myself going a while without seeing my parents or grandparents to see how they are doing. Point being, we all tend to get caught up in life when things are going well and we have the money to keep us distracted.

Being in college in Commerce is like living in an economic bubble. The economy of this town is almost entirely dependent upon Texas A&M University-Commerce and the students who live here. We cannot forget there is an entire nation out there in the midst of a recession/depression, even though there are some economists saying it has ended.

I have relatives that are out of work and struggling to get by, as many of us on campus do. I am sure there are many older students here feeling the sting of the economy as well. As family members, I believe we must stick together during these hard times and try to be there for them as much as possible. It doesn't matter if it is a phone call, email or a visit, when hard times hit, family is always comforting.

Many of the students on campus rely on their parents for financial support as well. Please do not forget about the hard times they might be going through and tell them often that you appreciate them for their help. They have worked hard to be able to get their lives where they are, and to be able to assist financially.

Since many families and students alike opt to stay in the house more often during these times, some fun, cheap activities are always nice to have. During the “Great Depression”, families would get together and go to the park, play cards or board games for entertainment. Not much has changed since then, as families today still get together to play video games, watch movies and play games in an effort to stem the flow of money going out.

The recurring issue of the American economy having its ups and downs is nothing new. These trends have been going on since the very beginning and will continue in the future.

Eventually the economy will turn around, and we will have more disposable income to keep ourselves distracted from our families again. It is a cycle like everything else in life. I just know from now on, I am going to try and be more aware of not losing touch with my family as easily and reconnect with them when times get hard.