Ennui ( ahn wee ) is a French word meaning extreme weariness, boredom, disquiet and the like. Some also use the word to mean a generalized feeling that "the other shoe is about to fall." This definition implies a degree of anxiety and poorly defined fears for the future.
I realized today that millions of Americans are suffering from ennui. They are certainly weary. The economy shows no real signs of improving. The unemployment situation shows no signs of improving; rather, more and more large companies are issuing pink slips.
I heard on the evening news that the Merck Corporation will be laying off 30,000 workers over the next two years. The sagging infrastructure of the country is not being addressed. Highways, bridges, city streets, overpasses and sidewalks continue to deteriorate while State and local taxes continue to rise in many parts of the nation.
It seems that our elected representatives cannot agree on anything. Gridlock in government is more profound than perhaps at any time in the past quarter century. This situation is wearisome.
Either the President, the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader or the Senate Leader seem to find a way to get their faces on television and speak every single day without really saying anything new.
The Pundits on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and Public Radio speak ad nauseum everyday without really saying anything new. All this is wearisome and boring.
In addition to weariness and boredom many people are anxious, disquieted and wondering when the next shoe is going to fall. Will it come as the result of slipping back into an even deeper recession? Will it be brought about by heavy losses in the Stock Market and in personal retirement plans. Is the Middle East becoming more and more of a powderkeg just waiting for the next maniac to appear and wreak futher havoc? Will we really desert Israel? Will we really allow Iran to have nuclear weaponry? Will Social Security payments be reduced? Will more and more physicians choose to either not accept Medicare or give up medical practice entirely? Will young people continue to borrow heavily to fund a college education and then be unable to secure a job upon graduation?
There are plenty of shoes that could fall at any time.
I think I will turn on the television and bore myself even further. When one is extremely bored it helps to fight off worry.
Perhaps I also need to take the time to see if there are any positives that can come out of all this.
More to come.
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