According to some experts, a child’s formative years are between birth and eight years old. I was born in July 1947 so my formative years were 1947 to 1955. Let’s look at some of what was going on in the world that could have influenced how I was raised.
1947-The Cold War begins. Demand for consumer goods and housing far exceeds the supply of both. The average annual wage is $2,850.00 and we are a family of three.
1948-The Soviet blockade of West Berlin is imposed. Mahatma Gandhi is murdered. Inflation is 7.74%. Apartheid begins in South Africa. The annual wage is $2950.00.
1949-The Communist People’s Republic of China is formed under Mao Tse Tung. Russia develops a nuclear bomb. The average annual wage is $2950.00
1950-The Korean War begins. U.S. troops are sent to Vietnam to aid the French. Primarily, men are the sole wage earners. Albert Einstein warns the world that nuclear war could lead to total destruction. The average annual wage is $3,210.00
1951-The U.S. began nuclear bomb testing. The era of Rock and Roll begins. Inflation is 7.88%. The average annual wage is $3,510.00 and my brother Paul is born, and we are now a family of four.
1952-The Polio epidemic is on the increase. The London smog has caused 4,000 deaths. King George VI dies and Elizabeth II is crowned queen. Inflation is 2.29%. The average annual wage is $3,850.00
What has any of this got to do with the title of this blog? My parents had to have been influenced by what was going on in the world. For example, my dad was in the Army reserves, having served in World War II, and was put on “stand-by” when the Korean War broke out.
I grew up during the Cold War, during a time when the threat of a nuclear war loomed over our heads constantly. We would have drills at school where we were instructed to get under our desks and cover our heads. I grew up during a time when moms stayed home, and dads went to work.
During my life so far, we’ve experienced four wars, a president assassinated, attempts on two other presidents, gas shortages, high inflation, recessions, high unemployment, terrorist attacks on our soil, and other events that we rather had not occurred.
In June of 2017, I was introduced to the concept that we have a choice as to how we view the world. I learned that we can either look at it through the lenses of “life is hard, and the deck is stacked against me so why bother”, or we can look at is through the lenses of, “up until now, there have been some challenges in my life, but me and my God are bigger, and I can choose to live my life by design and not default”.
We were given the gift of choice. We can choose to change the lenses we view the world and our lives through.
Do you want to learn how you can change your lenses? Go to www:transformationalwellnessservices.com and schedule a FREE one-hour consultation with me by clicking on “contact us” at the top of the home page and then click on “schedule a session with Rich. It’s really that easy.
I changed my lenses, and the result has been amazing. I would love to show you how to change your lenses. Sign up for your FREE session TODAY!
Namaste,
Rich