Skip to comments.

Posted on 10/06/2001 3:40:04 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

Sour economies sweeten demeanors. Shopping lists get shorter, patience grows longer, and somehow only the important stuff rises to the top. If it can wait, we let it wait.

That's why I have mixed feelings about an economic recovery.

With all the good it would do to help people get fed and put on clean socks in the morning, renewed consumer confidence could cause us to forget what's important. Again.

I'm inspired every time President Bush gets long-winded with two or three words of hope, which for him is a breathless monologue.

Some signs point to a financial turnaround -- people are starting to schedule trips, which is good news for Florida. But then history creeps in:

Grab a Bible. Look in the book of Exodus and see how God spelled out the rules of simple living in the Ten Commandments, only for the people to forget what he said and end up worshipping a calf made of gold.

A healthy economy leads us toward that end. Gadgets and gizmos enter the picture. Life gets complicated. We find gold and forget God.

Old-timers talk about the country going bad once we stopped displaying the Ten Commandments. Well, they were right, because it wasn't long before we forgot the importance of flying the American flag.

Since the terrorist attacks, there's been a return to both of those basics. Go to most neighborhoods and you will see many a faded Old Glory and some that are new and crisp. I even saw an old lady driving through Winter Park with a star-spangled banner from a giant newspaper ad taped to her car.

There's been a surge in church attendance, and Bible retailers have reported brisk sales. Whether folks are actually reading Chapter 20 in Exodus is not the point, nor is physically posting the Ten Commandments.

For that matter, whether you fly an American flag is no measure of your patriotism.

What counts is your heart. The longer the economy lags, the softer it becomes. Let economic indicators rise and watch hearts harden.

Again, history winks at us, and it says war is good for the economy.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States, which was emerging from depressed financial times, launched a massive program of building tanks, planes and other weapons of war.

"Everybody had a job as a consequence," said Michael Gannon, 74, a University of Florida distinguished service professor of history emeritus. The long title means he knows what he's talking about, so follow his words as we fast-forward 60 years to the war on terrorism: "We will not see the same infusion into the economy that occurred during the time of the second world war."

Fighting terrorism will be a long and drawn-out affair. We won't see the large and immediate mobilization of weapons that WWII demanded. There will be few jobs created -- plenty of dreams deflated.

Don't cringe, though. A skittish economy keeps us humble, flying flags, fearing God. Stuff that can wait? Shoot, let it wait.

Economic downturns curb spending. That gets us back to what the holiday season is all about, less-crowded malls in favor of packed homes. That way, grace gets said before Thanksgiving dinner, with time afterward to count more blessings. Stuff at the mall will still be on sale whenever we decide to go.

A strong economy is good, but I'd rather be broke and blessed.

So may it begin to look a lot like Christmas, the way it's supposed to be, with more room for each other's presence, less space for our presents.

John McCann can be reached at 407-420-6186 or jmccann@orlandosentinel.com.

Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.