DOWNSIZING

When we think of the word downsizing, most of us probably think of grandma and grandpa moving from the big house into a smaller place.  This would involve choosing which things will fit into the new house and which things they will have to give away.

Another use of the word downsizing is similar.  A large company may decide for one reason or another to trim their business.  This usually involves laying off employees.  Both of these examples are usually quite traumatic.  But there is a more insidious meaning to the word downsizing that involves actions that affect you without you being cognisant of them at the time.

Have you noticed that when you buy certain groceries these days, that you are paying the same amount or even more for less.  A pound of bacon has become 12 ounces, five pounds of sugar is now four pounds, even our favorite brand of chocolates though it looks like a pound box is only 12 ounces.  There are no announcements or signs telling us about these differences.  We usually don't even notice until we get home.  That is what I mean about it being insidious.

But it gets even worse.  Without our knowledge or consent our privacy has been downsized.  Our personal space has been invaded.  We no longer have the luxury of living our lives at a respectable distance from the chaos of the world.
The world has been downsized.  It is no longer, to steal a phrase "those far away places with strange sounding names."  Those places are in our living rooms every day and night with tales of war, famine, and of terrorism.  Our every action is documented and recorded.  There is no place to hide, no place to escape from the glare of the headlights, no refuge from today's downsized world.

Our only hope is to somehow quiet our minds and thoughts and try to keep the world from downsizing us any further.