Trying to find a job in today's society ...

I think I've been on the unemployed list for almost 8 months now, and I don't think that there's anything else that you can go through that will make you feel worse. The thoughts that go through your head, like "You're supposed to be the provider for this household!" or "You can't even get a decent job like those other guys!". The devil seems to be really busy these days, and yes, he's stopped by my doorstep as well. My family is a big comfort, but it still hurts!

It doesn't help that you seem to spend most of your waking hours in front of a computer, applying to site after site, agency after agency, and they all want you to re-create your resume manually onto their site. This is supposed to be the automation age, right? What happened here? Why can't I just click on "APPLY NOW" like you do on one of the sites?

And then there's the long, long waits ... no calls, no interviews, and sometimes ... sometimes you even get an email letting you know that they're happy you wasted your time applying for the position, but they hired somebody else!

In The Old West:
In the old days of long ago, a man walked into a place of business and he got to talk to his would-be employer, face-to-face! He applied for a job like a man. He was treated like a man, too ... with respect. Today, it's "go out to our website and fill out everything, and we'll call you ..." only never to hear from them again.

Remember those days, when a hand shake was a hand shake? Remember when a man would look you in the eye when he talked to you? Nowadays, if you do this, people wonder if you're gay, or if you're trying to "put the mojo on them or something! But in those days when a man looked you dead 'n the eye, man you "knew" he was shooting straight with ya'! A handshake and a man's word was better 'n any contract or agreement on some piece of paper.

You didn't have a water bill, or a "bottled water" bill. You didn't have an electric bill, or a phone bill. You didn't have to buy gas ... you just needed to find some grass now and then. You pumped your own water from your own well. And you didn't need electricity. You used lanterns, a fireplace, a wood cookstove ... I think you get the point.

I guess we oughtta be thankful for all that we do have, but when the "income" goes wrong, it all comes tumbling down on top of ya'! And like it or not, today - like the days of yesteryear - the man is still expected to be, and rightfully so, the 'breadwinner'. He is the provider of the household income. And if he can't accomplish that, just like back then, he feels shame, and a loss of self-worth. It eats at him, and gnaws at his conscience.

But I still think I'd rather be living in some small town, out in the country, where I could go shoot something when we needed food, and I could "dig" if we needed water, and nobody had to interview me, or let some new-fangled computer "scan" my resume ... I'd just take care of business ... and keep my honor and my pride, and provide for my family.

Well, I think that's 'nuff for t'night ... ya'll!

The woodbox looks good tonight, no need for more.
Y'might take a gander at the barn door t' make sure it's shut tight.

Make me proud!