ARE WE THERE YET?
Parents, or almost anyone who has driven a car loaded with small children on a long trip, will know the import of the question: “Are We There
Yet?
Children are often curious and so full of anticipation concerning arrival at a destination - let's say, to the beach for a week - that they find it difficult to refrain from asking the question.
Now -the same situation but in a different guise - an adult one.. Let's shift ages and roles.
Think of President George W. Bush as the driver and all of us the kids in the back seat. We realize we are on a journey, a passage from one point to another We long for a return o prosperity;repeat the “ Good Times” we think we remember so well. Most of us have confidence that the driver know where he is going, so it's largely a matter of time and patience. We don't want to wait, however, so we ask again: “Are We There Yet?”
Just as Dad did when he was driving, he had an answer ready, but it was to simple and direct; too factual for our ideas of a proper reply. So, he turned to Mom seated there beside him and she could see the frustrated. quizzical -“What'll-I-do-now!” look in his eye. She turns and calmly explains the situation to us.
In our adults version this would be Bush staffers and associates – Condoleeza Rice or Colin Powell, for instance, who would turn to sooth the backseaters with promising words, and allusions to the happiness ahead. Mom did the job by getting the kids to look out of he windows at the steady stream of exciting traffic; play guessing games - that sort of thing. Just as Mother could never bring about complete tranquility among us, some of the adult-kids riding with us, will question if the the diver how to get to wherever it might be we are going. There will be some disconcerting bickering concerning details of the trip.
Mon used to tell us to watch for sea gulls flying through air, then we would know we were near the ocean and the sunny beach we yearned for
so much.
We need watch for certain, dependable guideposts along the way, too, which tell us we are on the right road. The kids were urged to read he advertising signs they saw which often told them how many miles it was to certain motel's or restaurants. For older kids it means watching for economic indicators which show that the economy is improving; watching the stock markets; looking for healthy signs; crowds thronging into stores and emerging loaded down with packages. Sing happy songs, too, just as we did,. Far better to sing light-hearted songs dirges which seem to invite gloom and despair in our homes. I remember quite well, how we sang “Happy, Dy Are Here Again!” when we felt the Great Depression 1929 into the '30's was coming to an end.
We are on the way. We have a dependable car; good tires are eating up the miles which will take us to our goal. In the proper time we will get there.
Stop bugging the driver with: “Are We There Yet?” You will among the first to know when we do arrive.
A.L.M. November 21, 2002 [c562wds]
