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It’s a weird time, isn’t it? Such euphoria among some of us at the outcome of the election and fear on the part of others who wonder what changes will actually be made. Surrounding it all is the shape of our economy and the endless reports of how bad it is. I have decided to detach a little—I was spending most of my evenings and weekends watching campaign coverage and reading books and articles on politics—and put my energy into a dream of a free, abundant, and peaceful future.

I have watched with some bemusement how dependent our financial world is on perception. Is it a clear example of thoughts and feelings shaping reality or what? Much of what is going on is due to the perception that things will get worse, which drives us to hold back, which causes things to get worse. At least one conservative commentator is blaming Barack Obama for our current woes and he won’t even be in office for nearly two months. But fear of his tax hikes, huge spending, and all the other terrible things the Democrats might do have affected behavior and made things worse than they need to be. That’s not Obama’s fault, it’s ours.

On top of it all, it’s the holiday season and stores will have record low sales, and now we have to worry about that.

For several years now, I’ve wondered how to fix our economy. Having one that runs on rampant consumer spending is kind of like the headlong running of a toddler. Eventually both will tumble. I don’t claim to be all that knowledgeable about economics, but I knew, as we all did, that too much credit was being used, that it was too expensive, and that our orgy of consuming would have to stop. Well, we’re here. And while many people will be hard hit, the silver lining might be that we can construct something in its place that’s more healthy, more life affirming, and more fair.

What can we do? There’s no point in being scared all the time. As bad as things might get, the great majority of us will be affected only to the extent that we choose to be. Most of us will keep our jobs and have little change in income or spending power. On paper, we may have taken hits, but if it’s not time for retirement, it’s not real.

If a changed economy is to emerge, how would we like it to look? Does our spending reflect that picture? For most of us, there’s a gap between what we’d like to be doing and what we’re actually doing. In our busy lives, it’s hard to make time to take stock, and we’re likely to act out of habit rather than from deliberation. Maybe now is the perfect time to make some changes. Do we like to think of ourselves as buying organic? Do we believe in supporting local enterprises? Are we OK with buying products from around the world if producers are treated fairly? Are we driving big cars, but really prefer something more efficient or taking public transportation? Should we start saving or save more? Our immediate response is often, “I’d like to make those changes, but I can’t afford it.” To some extent that might be true, but if we think in terms of quality and durability along with the impact our choices have, we probably would find we have more than we think we do.

Maybe we can make some changes in this season of giving. Let’s try to give gifts to our loved ones that promote our idea of a healthy world. We all know people who would like quality skin care products,  natural fiber clothing, or hand made accessories. Gift certificates for massages or other treatments would certainly be appreciated. For the kids, there are safe toys made from renewable or recycled products, and books often made from recycled paper and vegetable inks. We likely know those who really don’t need things and we might donate to a charity or other organization in their name. This offers a wide opportunity for conscious giving. These things do not come in heavy duty packaging that must be tossed out, and they benefit smaller companies who are walking their talk.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season no matter which of them you celebrate. Let’s together dream a world more to our liking, and continue to support it with all of our energies.