Social Work: Past And Present

Short Assignment Three: Social Work - Past and Present

Times are much different than they used to be, however, the world seems to be reacting to these problems the same way they did years ago. Most days, the general public seems to be preoccupied with 'the war on terror.' There is so much going on in this world, and yet it is all being categorized as one big issue. This is very similar to some events in the past, more specifically, The Great Depression.

When The Great Depression happened, it devastated this country; the war on terror is no different. During each of these events the world underwent a series of drastic changes. In both instances, the economy was thrown out of whack, which in turn caused people to make rash decisions. As in the case of both of these, pessimism and despair were rampant.

There wasn't really a reason for people to act the way they did in both situations. The public may have overreacted a bit, causing the economy to be thrown out of whack and such. When people feel threatened, they tend to freak out, causing a chain reaction of events. For example, when news of the depression hit, the public flocked to the bank to take out all of their money at once; since the bank safe does not hold all money all of the time, banks were forced to shut down leaving many jobless.

I personally think that there is much to be learned from all of these past experiences. Things happen for a reason; mainly, so that we can learn from our past and our mistakes. For example: When the television news announces that there is a gas shortage, the public flocks to the gas station to fill their cars with gas. In all actuality, there is most likely not a gas shortage, just the public causing a shortage due to their reaction to the situation. The best thing to do when something major has happened is to calm down and take a look around; assess the situation, look at what has happened in the past,