Handbasket Thoughts

 

Back in the late 1970s, early in my business career, the owner of the company I worked for would often say, "We are going to hell in a handbasket." He was in his mid- to late-60s at the time, and I, in my early twenties, usually just chalked it up to him being a bit of a grumpy old man. He'd often say it about the world in general or something his sons—who ran the business—had done that got under his skin. To me, it was just part of his quirky personality, and I found him funny. But now, looking back, I wonder what he would say if he could see the world today. It’s hard not to think that even he might find today's chaos even more staggering than the days he grumbled about.

It seems like everything is on fast-forward, and the world's problems are stacking up like never before. There's constant conflict in the news, polarizing opinions on every topic, and a sense that, no matter where I look, something important is unraveling. Politicians seem more out of touch than ever and there's this overwhelming feeling that things are happening faster than I can process. I try to take a news or social media break at least one day a week even though I am afraid I will miss some important news that day. It feels as though we're all speeding down a hill in that proverbial handbasket—except the hill is getting steeper, and the handbasket is shaking more than ever. Whether it's the economy, climate change, or technology running wild, it feels like we're careening toward a point of no return.

Perhaps my old boss would chuckle a bit and say, "I told you so," but then he'd maybe agree that the ride is much bumpier now. The world feels more unstable, unpredictable, and, dare I say, downright scary in ways that were hard to imagine back then. And what's wild is that all this craziness doesn't seem to faze the powers that be. It’s as if they’re too busy bickering or chasing their own agendas to notice we're all in the same handbasket, heading in the same direction. What would he say now? Would he still think we could turn things around, or has the handbasket finally reached its tipping point?