I don't know if it's the changing paradigm that President Obama referred to as "the lost decade", but I agree with you, the way of life that we have known for a long time is in the process of changing. I'm not certain the changes will all be bad.

• More saving, less spending
• A return to the olden days, when people didn;t spend next year's raise even before they got it
• Normal sized houses instead of McMansions
• Less consumption of "expendable" items, maybe leading to the production of more useable and durable products
• A necessarily greater emphasis on "family values", instead of just rattling off the words in a sound bite.
• A simpler life, a simpler diet, less discretionary spending
• A greater emphasis and concern for what's happening in our country to our fellow citizens
• Maybe a return to the comfort and peace of religious beliefs
• Hopefully an elevated concern for our fellow citizens whose lot in life is even more challenging than our own

I'm sure there are a lot more potential advantages that could result from our current situation that I haven't thought of.

Now...if we can stop paying professional athletes tens or millions of dollars to play kids' games, it might be evidence of a step in the right direction.