The End Of Innocence

When we reached the age of reason, some of the fairy tales of life had disappeared.  We discovered by ourselves that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were not real.  Our reasoning and worldly objectivity had matured to the point where we knew that a fat man with flying reindeer could not slide down the chimney.  An oversized rabbit that delivered chocolates in a basket was a farce, and the money left under our pillow in exchange for a tooth was really left by our parents, as were the gifts under the Christmas tree and the chocolates in the basket.  But let´s be honest.  Those fantasies were hard to let go.

Think about your childhood and those wonderful fantasies.  When you had discovered that your parents were the ones responsible, your world and how you looked at life changed; it was a defining moment in your life.  Reason and maturity stripped off that thin veneer of the innocence of the sweet life, the sweet fantasy of childhood, and what appeared, although gradually, were some of life´s cold truths. 

When we were kids, we believed that everyone liked us.  As adults, we found that was not true and suffered the cold fact that some people really disliked us.  But we adjusted and life went on because somewhere deep inside of us we knew and most of us understand that we cannot please everyone; the smart ones among us do not bother to try.

We discovered that working for a living is hard.  The idea of a ´free lunch,´ a free pass in life was something out of reach for us; that silver spoon was not in our mouth.  But, we found satisfaction and personal pride in providing for ourselves and our famlies.  We tasted the fruits of our labor and found them good.  Like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy we believed that hard work, honesty, and loyalty would serve us well and secure a good life.  That sadly, no longer holds true. 

The reasons are many and for those willing to use their eyes and ears, they will find that the last fifty years are full of double-dealing, back stabbing, and slieght-of-hand, coming from the highest levels, that has destroyed the dream for many people.  Money is power and power is money and for those that have both, their appetite seems never ending.

Now, people in the work place are referred to as ´human resources´; the new interchangeable parts of modern business and industry - break one, replace it with a new and younger model that will work for less.  The new rules of the workplace, and other places where men strive to live, have changed.  Want that promotion or a raise?  Screw your peers.  Period.

Humanity, the art of being human, has left the workplace and the nieghborhood.  Religion, or the lack of it, now is used as a measuring stick in politics and business.  Forget education, skill, and experience; the person who shouts amen the loudest and the longest wins.  It was easier to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.


                                                        Copyright 2011  Terry Unger