Thursday, March 28, 2024 -
Print Edition

Heat? Haircuts? Tzedakah?

You’re sleeping, and the smoke alarm screeches. As terror puts a dagger to your drowsiness, you realize you have only a few seconds to escape. The accumulated treasures of a lifetime go up in flames so that you might live.

OK, forget the fire scenario and substitute the drawn-out recessionary scenario. You’ve got lots of time. You can stay right where you are. But a tightening financial noose demands sacrifices. Where do you start? There’s no choice but the essentials. Some are obvious. Medications that prolong your life. Food that nurtures your body, not to mention the clothes that cover it.

And that’s the easy part. The rest is so negotiable it’s like a Rorschach test. Imagine your existence is a clean slate. What is essential? Heat? Light? Air conditioning? A big fan? Your children’s security? Private school? A car? Cellphone? Computer? Coffeemaker? Coffee? Mug? Stainless steel refrigerator? Microwave? TV? Cable? A new watch? New eyeglasses? A good book? Haircuts? Hair color? Tzedakah? Synagogue dues? And last . . . but never the least, these days . . . gasoline?

We could drift on. We hope you catch ours.

In that time-honored novella The Little Prince, the wise fox tells the title character that what is essential is invisible to the eye. The fox was talking about love, hope, all manner of human emotions.

A recession, like a fire, makes us think about what’s really important, what qualifies as necessary. A recession focuses our minds on what is truly essential and generally invisible.




Leave a Reply