YAWN OF A NEW AGE

Dear Readers,
I heard something on the radio the other day about a research project that sought to figure out why it is that we yawn. Apparently, according to the conclusions reached by the scientists conducting the study, we yawn in order to get more oxygen to the brain, not because we're bored or tired. In the researchers' view, this extra oxygen helps us to become more alert and to concentrate better(like first thing in the morning), thus we gather more information. Plus, the reason that one yawn will trigger other yawns in a group of people is an atavistic trait of self (or group) protection like, ooh, he's getting more air to his brain so he can be more alert to a saber-toothed tiger attack, so I'd better get more air so I can stay alert, too. Sounds reasonable, eh?
If that theory holds any water, we all ought to be yawning like crazy. The current economic crisis threatens everybody to some degree, and being more alert to dangers is not a bad idea these days, as it seems that too many of us have been semi-dozing in a fog of insouciance and material excess. (I can feel that you're all yawning now, but perhaps that's because your mind wants to stay alert, and think this all through.)
The head of the English Anglican Church, Archbishop Rowan Williams was interviewed recently and said that the financial crisis was 'good for society' as it was time for a 'reality check' of our irresponsible spending and get-rich-quick schemes. A little preachy, (what else could he be?)yes? Trouble is, he lives quite a comfortable life, in his palace (Lambeth) where minions are available 24/7 to do his bidding, so while you have to admit that the bugger is right, he's pretty insulated from ordinary life - plus, he's got God well on his side. But maybe it is time for some sort of reality check, especially since real checks - the kind you can deposit - are getting rarer. After years of go-go, gotta-have-it, don't-know-why-exactly, don't-care-how-deep-in-debt-I-am living, it may be time for a collective yawn.
Maybe the best role model for this need of an oxygen rush is our own President Obama. Here's a guy who thrilled crowds during the campaign with his impassioned speeches, his inspirational vision and his ability to connect emotionally with our better instincts. But since his election, he's turned into a serious, sober and unflashy leader, one who is seeking to tone down the bitter partisan rhetoric and try and defuse the rancorous ideological divisions in order to seek the best solutions for our country's problems. Some people are now finding him boring. Yawn - hey, maybe he's right!
America has been and always will be a pretty kinetic place. By the world's standards, we're still a fairly young nation - a rambunctious adolescent - so that's to be expected. I'd like to think that all that's happened in the last few months - including what is to come in the next few months - has been like we're a teenager who's had a car crash caused by driving too fast and too recklessly. We're alive, but shaken, and have a day in court to(not) look forward to. But I sense there's still an arrogance there, a belief that 'what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger', and no one around with the authority to order us to grow up. I don't know that our new President is the guy who wants to tell us that, maybe the best he could do would be to create an atmosphere where we can figure it all out for ourselves. I'm hopeful, but doubtful, too.
In the endless loop of coming-of-age stories that is the USofA, there probably will be a time where growing up actually happens, and perhaps then, a new age of nation-wide responsibility will gain some traction. But it will take a working majority of people who will accept that less is more and that greed is bad, and like the beardy English Archbishop said, that 'we can't spend our way to a healthy economy'. We're nowhere near that majority at present. Yet can a collective, concentrating yawn fix things? It's a start. Hey! We're not bored, we're just needing some extra air to our brains. Stay alert, kids.
Well, I need to add some extra water to the kettle, because, even without yawning, I know that somewhere, it's 4 o'clock, and time for a nice cup of tea.