THINK!!!

I have to write about an epidemic that has silently and unfortunately swept the whole nation; an inability to actually think!

This is not new in coming; when I was in high school (and dinosaurs roamed the roads) a friend of mine exclaimed one fine day, "it's summer, I don't have to think." It was funny at the time, but it's not funny now.

I started considering this lack of thought recently when I received yet another forwarded spam email stating "this month the state police are going to double the amount of speeding tickets they'll be writing." When I confronted the person who sent it and cited a well known site that debunks these stupid emails, the reply was "Oh, that's a liberal site, and they won't tell you the truth." She, unfortunately, was serious. She didn't even consider the "warning" email didn't say what month was to be blitzed, nor look at the debunking site to see this email has been around since 2005 (I have received it at least 3 times in the past.) Besides those actions would have required thought!!

Lack of thinking is what has thousands of people in trouble with their mortgages. If they had just taken a few moments to think, "Will I be able to make this payment if I lose my job?" or "will this payment allow me to put aside some money for emergencies?" Nope, people just jumped. Now I see friends and family who are tangled up because they have lost one income and chose to take on a mortgage and multiple other payments such as a car. I don't say people shouldn't have a house or a car, both are pretty important, but I do say people need to think about how they will afford all these things if something goes south (like it has.) Buy a cheaper car or house, and work your way up; don't start as large as you possibly could go! Think it through.

Another of my friends summed it up yesterday when I was bemoaning this lack of thought. She said, "Thinking's not fun." There's the rub, thinking does take some work, a sense of responsibility, and a little time, but it is worth it.

Lack of thought not only harms you financially, it can kill your relationship. Acting without thinking causes hurt feelings, anger, disconnections, and sometimes even breakup and divorce. A huge example: affairs. So often I hear someone say, "it just happened," but affairs don't just happen. Every person in a relationship has multiple opportunities to cheat; truly it's out there. However, those who chose not to cheat use skills to protect their chosen relationship. If the urge to cheat happens, think!! Take a step back, and chose. Go back to your spouse and say, "I think I need to be working on our relationship and I'm asking you for help." Let them know you are unhappy in some way and want to fix it. That's what a thinking person would do, and the thinking people have happier relationships and lives overall.

So, take some time and use your brain. It really isn't as hard as you think.