Rocky Times Ahead: Are You Ready? (Sarah Byrnes and Chuck Collins)

Created by : Francis Goodwin View profile

Jan. 21, 2011 (YES! Magazine) -- "I don't believe the economy is getting better," says Billy R., a member of a mutual aid group in Oregon that he jokingly calls "my reality support group." "All around me I'm surrounded by media and advertising urging me to keep borrowing, buying, and sleepwalking. I love meeting with others who are staring down the potential risks and challenges of the future."

Maybe more of us could use a reality support group.

Even with the announcement that the official unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent, millions of people remain in dismal economic straits. The pace of home foreclosures has barely slowed and millions remain out of work. Even upbeat scenarios still assume protracted unemployment and economic stagnation for much of the decade ahead. The unspoken scenario is that things could get worse.

Can forming a small group like this really make a difference, when the problems we face seem so overwhelming? History tells us they can.

So here's the point: you must not face the future alone.