...Or is there really such a thing! Before writing about many subjects, I've sought time to consider what others have already written. But when it comes to life solutions for those who have basically lost access to money, there's little real discussion to be found: just appeals to government and non profits for money already in short supply, instead of the self help or DIY one might readily expect for other problem solving circumstance. Why no guidelines for those individuals who are more than willing to help themselves for the long run?
Over the years this has seemed an incredible anomaly to me, because people who need direction in this regard are evident most anywhere, even if they are no longer a "statistic" being tracked. Not only is there little in the way of advice for them, but people are reluctant to even think about the ongoing realities such individuals face. Worse, others begrudge them and question crucial aspects of their reality. The actual prospect of life beyond income makes little sense in environments which require income at every turn. Because no one wants to think about it, everyone tries to "hide" the problem elsewhere instead, which only serves to shame such individuals all the more.
It's one thing to speak of "getting by" in a relative sense financially, or even to talk up numerous good points of "voluntary" monetary abstinence. But long term strategies for long term unemployment are another matter. Perhaps it's easier for me to think about unemployment in what-might-be-done terms because I was such an avid reader of DIY anything for a long time. In those initial years when conditions made it difficult for me to gain work, I'd come across self help finance articles and think, yes but this is what you try to do when you have a job! Is it just that society needs to somehow get a "plan", before such individuals can follow through on any DIY unemployment solutions of their own? People don't have a lot of places they can readily migrate to now, and that was a prime solution for a long time.
As best as I can tell, the long term unemployed fall into at least three broad categories. I'll consider first the transitional state, where the traditional avenues of reconnection continue to be proffered. Certainly, an individual tries to remain in this realm as long as possible, whether by support groups or other networking efforts. However there is little in the way of strategy that is different from the short term aspects of employment loss. It is only when the resumes and job applications pile up in most every potential place of employment (particularly if one can't move) that other options need to be considered. Even with the present recovery, employers now expect employees to be in better financial circumstance overall than was previously considered necessary. Once, it was not uncommon to see employers reach out to homeless individuals and offer them work.
While gaining compensation for disability can be a lifesaver; just the same, having to do so can be a blow to one's sense of self worth. For anyone with health concerns that mean a physician is willing to agree to the prognosis, this tends to be the rational option. One of the odd aspects of this route is the fact that many who are opposed to government assistance in general will take it because there is little other choice, in terms of salvaging one's lifestyle. The fact that anyone makes the choice for disability is not a strike against them - how else do they expect to survive? It is just another indicator how we need to think through better means of ensuring a lifetime of work options for all.
The next strategy is "falling back" on family. While this may work for some in the short term, it is a lousy option for the long term under many circumstances. Unless - of course - there is the possibility of taking on more responsibilities on the home front which one is in agreement with. Hidden here are also individuals living in what approximates servitude, because they feel they have little economic choice. Without economic freedom, there is little other freedom to make a family life count in terms of positive choices. Much of present day pressure in familial arrangements can be directly traced to the lack of economic access so many experience.
With no job, government or familial assistance, here's where life can get dicey. All too often, prison or homelessness turn into primary "options" for lack of a better expression. To seek many forms of escape is to tempt addiction. In the short run, everyone looks for the "shortcomings" an individual holds, if they are in fact confronted with the reality. To be sure, shortcomings are not hard to find, and even those who are willing to rise above the fray will be questioned. At the very least, any residual desire to live a long, normal life seems questionable at best and may be put to the test many times. All of the good habits one diligently tries to follow: habits which once could be counted on to help, can of course still be followed. And yet, luck plays a role in all of this.
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