Column: Olaf Samuelson, Paths to Peace

Since I graduated with a film studies major and a Russian studies major, I have had no difficulty finding a job in my interests in Minnesota. That is a lie.

Though I am working, I have spent the last year eking out an existence in my parents’ basement, unemployed. The Basement in the Sky, as I call that very basement, is a place that I am lucky to have. I am sure that others are afforded considerably more “mean” estates.

I spent a better part of a year in the Basement in the Sky. What did I do with my time? Nothing productive, to say the least. That is why I am writing this. With hyper-accurate hindsight, I have distilled a vicious cycle that can eat away at the unemployed or underemployed. Since I have identified it in my uncle, and again in a close friend, I am sure that this cycle inhibits many struggling people. Let me explain:

The cycle, simply put, starts with unemployment, which after time becomes depression; the depression descends into inability; inability continues unemployment.

When you begin searching for jobs (and to be clear, we mean relatively specific jobs), you feel capable, excited and worthy. The world is your burrito. Employers are excited by this fervor and see you as a likely hire. But, for whatever reason, you are not offered a job. You aren’t offered a job after a solid month of applying.

Now, most people pick themselves up and try again. Those people are heroes.

The rest of us start to falter. We begin to develop a depression that instills an inactive inability. We begin to believe anything we try will fail and opt to not make an attempt. We simultaneously crush the ability to land jobs and our intention to apply for them. Two birds with one stone, one stone tied to our ankles …

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines unemployment as more than four weeks of active searching and less than 12 months of active searching.

For the average American, this statistic effectively portrays who is out of work. Some people might not need or want to work, and the 12-month limit effectively removes them from the percentage.

There is, however, a likely percentage that evades that statistic. After 12 months, the bureau drops those struggling people out of the percentage. Another group not represented in the unemployment percentage is the underemployed. These are people who have some employment, but not enough to be functional. Keep in mind, when you see the unemployment percentage, the number of actual unemployed is a little higher.

In the scheme of history, our unemployment percentage is not that high, and it will get better. Unemployment, however, is a constant problem for any society. First and foremost, an unemployed or underemployed person cannot be a great consumer.

Though those groups spend almost all of their income, the contribution to the economy is reduced from what they could contribute. There is a higher possibility of these struggling people being unable to make house payments. The house might get repossessed, and then is turned over to flood the housing market with cheap homes.

Economies are far more interconnected than we could begin to imagine. Whether you like it or not, we are all in this thing together.

But that is the best part. When I was unemployed, I fell into the cycle of jobless depression. It was not my skill or drive that brought me out of it. It was the community. I was asked to volunteer. I was told about opportunities like becoming an EMT with a small-town ambulance service. My relatives would find odd jobs for me to do. I was asked to help brown hamburger or make soup at church. I was invited to become a functioning member of society, and I was thankful to accept.

We are not remembered for the things we wear or the purchases we make. We are remembered for the things we do. The kindness and generosity shown to me will not be forgotten. I was blessed to have people who wanted me to succeed and lifted me up. My future is wide open, thanks to their kindness. And I am sure that I will do my best to pick up those who have fallen.

 

Olaf Samuelson is a home health care provider. He resides in his parents’ basement.