The Act of Framing

Crisis or opportunity?

It’s all in how you frame it:

recession depression

rich poor end beginning more or less.

 How we describe and diagnose what is happening

has everything to do with what happens

and what is happening is what is happening right now

like a piece of modern music

that would otherwise be impossible to sing.

 

Do you remember how it was when we tried to get our first job?

How we had to pad our resume, make up experiences we never had?

Now they tell us to strip it down so we don’t intimidate

the person who is younger and less experienced

and after all, getting older  only  means we know we don't really  know

Still, on  March 9, 2009, the Chronicle headlines

announce what I’ve been writing about:

Older Job Seekers Face Extra Hurdles in a Tough Market

in the longest recession since the depression

with 12.5 million jobless, where  an education  is no inoculation

and a 62 year old who applied for more than 1000 jobs in 18 months,

finally got one interview, and was told he didn’t fit in

because the bias against older workers is so pervasive.

 But here is another picture:

After no bite on the end of the job search line

for months J who just turned 54 

has all at once many tugs and 4 interviews

and should a job be offered I’m not sure I would want him to accept 

since we’re finally doing what matters most:

 gently using the resources on this fragile earth

spending more time watching the sunset

and feeding each other.

 

And what about this: 

getting a job and being laid off soon after

could be worse than not taking the job offered,

not loosing the unemployment check

and the opportunity to pursue a dream.

When there’s so little certainty about the future

there is so much less to lose, and so much more to gain

when we re-claim our freedom to create our lives.

 Another frame:

There are  long food lines

but the lines are for Pizziola, the  restaurant on Telegraph Ave.

that’s too cool to have a sign

where beautiful young people are sipping cocktails

speaking of their latest love conquests.

 There are people who really don’t think about

being laid off and the money they’ve lost.

Our realtor friend this week closed two deals

both over a million dollars and proclaims:

the recession is officially over!