Time is either a journey along a continuous line, or a circle that revolves over and over again. Mankind is at the crossroads to determine which one is true.

As the old saying goes, if we forget the past, are we destined to repeat it? Or are we doomed to consistently repeat old formulas and ideas that have been proven time and again to fail? Each morning when I pick up my newspaper and read the headlines, is it me, or do you also, after a while, start to feel that you’ve seen this movie before? Have we as a society forgotten what works, and what doesn’t?

Can mankind overcome its defects, to the point of not repeating them? I want so much to believe in the perfect world, where everything can be negotiated and compromised…where nations can sit down around the table, discuss their differences, and find peace. A world where thieves and crooks don’t have their way in our financial markets. Is it naive to want a better world for our children? Eerily, more and more I start to see the mistakes and demons of the past begin to show their faces with new masks. The name Neville Chamberlain has been going over and over in my mind this past week. He was the Prime Minister of Great Britain who tried to reach a peace treaty with Adolf Hitler. Chamberlain was convinced that he could sit down and negotiate an agreement with Hitler, that intelligent men could meet and find a compromise. He watched as Adolf Hitler signed the agreement not to invade Poland, brought that agreement back to the British people and, as he was getting off the plane, held out the agreement and said “Peace in our time.” Before the ink was dry on that agreement, Hitler invaded Poland. We all know where that ended up.

We will find out in the next couple of years if Time is a straight line, or a repeating circle. The past few months President Obama has opened his hands to compromise and peace, over and over. He wants so much to reach common ground with those who consider America their enemy. President Obama will either succeed, or become Neville Chamberlain. What we as a society are going to have to see firsthand is, are there people who want peace, or are there people that will do anything to avoid it?

Time is the great commoditizer. Products that were once extremely expensive eventually drop in price so that just about everyone can afford them. Computers, televisions, flat screens, and yes, eventually, robots. Unfortunately, so too has nuclear material become commoditized. Where once nations shuddered at the thought of a nuclear war, other groups now see no problem with purchasing and using such weapons. Is the time line flat, or a circle? Can one rationally have a conversation with a madman?

I love my country, I love the world. I want all God’s children to get along. Time hangs in the balance.

May true hearts prevail,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon

One thing’s for sure that we have all learned, is that no lifestyle or job is a guarantee. Except for a few rare circumstances the days of working at one job and one company until retirement is gone. Recently a friend said to me, “Jennifer, this downturn took my job and most of my life’s savings…how could this happen? I was considered successful!” Then she just shot me a look and said, “One thing’s for sure, it’s time to get hungry, get thirsty, and go and do what will make me happy and make me complete.”

So there it is….many of us know that all the promises, all the guarantees, can they any longer be trusted? Will we ever feel that we have the job that can’t be downsized, or done without? For many years we all thought that we will do the job that pays the most money, regardless of whether we enjoy it or not, and some have found that at the end of that road is a dead end street. All the hopes, passions and dreams we pushed aside, for the paycheck that we thought would always be there, can just as easily vanish.

The great promise of the large 401K, the perfect home, and the mega-bucks job, for quite a few, has come crashing down. If you’re one of them, don’t feel bad…it may be the beginning of an opportunity that will bring you real happiness doing something, this time, that you love. Another friend shared her thoughts with me, angrily saying, “Jennifer, it feels as if somebody came up to me and stole my life’s savings and my home. What adds insult to injury is that particular thief could have been arrested…but in this economic environment, nobody wants to take the blame.” She added, “From here on in, I’m only going to do what I love, for a living. I may end up broke, but at least I’ll be happy, and that they won’t be able to take away from me.” I responded, “I guess you’re not only mad, but now you’re hungry for your passion. God Bless you.”

So many emails, all of them saying the same thing in different ways. What went wrong? I played by the rules. I wasn’t a pig. Something evil went down here. This is America, these kind of things are not supposed to happen, yet nobody seemed to know what was going wrong until it was too late.

I’m writing this essay to let those out there who have been devastated by this downturn, know that they’re not alone. You will come back, but learn, there are always shady people out there claiming to be looking out for us all, yet behind our backs, they’re sharpening their knives. Success can be the best revenge, yet this time let us try to be successful at what we love, and what stokes our passion. Why is it that many times we only find out who cares about us when we go through troubles? Maybe it’s a way to take a good look at our lives, at what we have, and what’s missing.

Carpe Diem,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon