The opening lines from “For the First Time,” by The Script, “She needs me now, but I can’t seem to find the time/ I’ve got a new job now on the unemployment line/ And we don’t know how/ How we got into this mess,” are just a snippet of some worthy truths.
This song, my new favorite by The Script, poignantly describes what daily life is now like in America. Ever since the ‘Great Recession’ in 2008, our economy has been spinning out of control. No one knows what is truly going on, but it seems like every channel has somber news about the debt ceiling rising and unemployment rates slowly climbing. Some people can no longer afford graduate school, and even the smartest students from prestigious universities are reduced to saying, “Can I take your order?” at the local McDonald’s.
We are now at a staggering 10 percent unemployment and it’s becoming the norm to say that job hunting is your real job.
Maybe, if you are like me, these events have little significance to you. Most people would wonder, why should I worry about debt or getting a real job when I just started college? Though it’s easy for college students to tune out the events going on in the world, this is not your typical event and it affects everyone in this country, especially when we are all working toward that common goal of succeeding and making our families proud.
Hopefully, unlike the lead singer of The Script, we don’t neglect our significant others in the process. Let’s not wake up to find our relationships ruined because we were too focused on getting a 4.0 GPA, or looking for the perfect job. “Oh, these times are hard,” they sing, but it would be 10 times harder without support from our loved ones.
Make sure they know you appreciate them before it’s too late to salvage any type of relationship. Turn this tragedy into a blessing in disguise.