Survive This

I know this isn't like the Great Depression...yet...but the California jobless rate is at it's worst since the WW2.

I wonder whether this recession/depression/economic crisis, whatever you want to call it, will have lasting effects on the character of our generation in the same way the Great Depression affected those who lived through it. When my Great Aunt passed and my relatives were cleaning out her house, they found stashes of cash all over the place, hidden. I don't know if this was reflective of her generation or her personality - but I actually think this was much more common for people who were alive during the run on the banks. We don't imagine the bank run happening, but nowadays, we can imagine losing 50% of our 401ks in a month and seeing our houses drop 50% in value (if you live in a bubble market) and also can picture, long, extended months of unemployment...whereas previously, this was not the case. Whether this will have a long term impact, I don't know. In some ways, I hope it does.

But for the time being, it would be nice to return to a little more security all around.