But don't you think that every generation has dealt with rough times? I mean weren't there two "war to end all wars" in the 20th century alone? Not to mention all the other wars, oil crises X2, genocides multiple times, terrorism, and what has all of it led to?

I heard an interview with a teacher today who has been teaching for 70 years, 56 years in the same classroom! She said that teenagers today are just like teenagers have always been, except for one thing: they no longer have a desire to gain knowledge. They learn material for a test and that's all. I see the same thing in my tae kwon do school. The other night, our head teacher asked the class why they would want to do anything less than their best...no one had an answer.

I think this growing apathy is a result of information overload and a growing sense of despair. The kids, and adults for that matter have instant access to infinite information from all over the globe. It can be overwhelming, depressing and anxiety producing. It just happens.

Seen Johnny Mnemonic? The movie centers around a disease called NAS-Nerve Attenuation Syndrome...caused by overuse of technology and information overload. It is possible we are starting to seem something similar happen in our own society.

We have to take care of ourselves. If we feel overwhelmed by the things we see, we need to take care of our minds and souls. Meditate, pray, walk in a quiet place. Find the thing that helps us let go and re-center.

Yes, we need to prepare ourselves as best we can, but we also need to take care of ourselves so we can be as mentally prepared to handle whatever comes our way.

9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, uncertain job markets...we are going through some rough times, with no certain end in sight. More rough times are ahead to be sure. But we must have faith that if we prepare ourselves as best we can, and help those around us prepare as well, those rough times will be more managable, and we will endure. And one day our descendents will look back at the work we did, the things we endured and say, "My goodness, those were rough times. How did they ever make it through that?"

Gather your supplies and tools, learn as much as you can, practice what you learn and help others when you can.

Rough times, yes. Insurmountable times, no.