I am thankful to have a job.
I've read stories of people who were barely making it who just lost their jobs. These are the people my heart goes out to, because I know that could be me at any point. I've had a harder time empathizing with people like Alexandra Penney, who moaned in her Daily Beast entries about having to sell her second house in Florida.
There were a few stories that struck me with unusual sympathy. How much sympathy do you feel for the people who made 70,000 a year who lose their jobs? Normally I would say very little. Some people have learned to have a little humility in this crisis. A friend of mine said she was really humbled when she found herself going to a food pantry after losing her job.
This story posted on CNN today about a banker who lost his cushy job and found himself advertising on craigslist.com. He talks about moving in with his 75-year-old mother. There were some details that had me cringing. (Crying while you look for a job on craigslist? Welcome to the life of the college graduate.) But the article didn't answer something. When what I will call the "fallen fortunate" find themselves looking for work with regular Americans, how do they change? Do they have gratitude? Are they thankful for their new jobs? Do they donate to charities to help others who aren't so fortunate?
What do you think? Do you have sympathy for them?
That depends. Were they working for the banks and mortgage agencies who caused this whole problem in the first place? Are they getting interviews? If they did or they are, then I have no sympathy for them because I didn't have a cushy job and I haven't gotten a call for an interview in two months.
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