I'm beginning to fear that all this analyzing and discussing that's been going on about the tough economic times we've faced over the past few years has sent the wrong message to a lot of people, especially the young.
More and more young people, it seems, are concluding that opportunity may never come their way, no matter what they do.
A 20-year-old I had never met before told me this week that she and others like her face nothing but closed doors.
"There aren't any jobs out there -- not any good ones at least," she said. "So I'm just going day to day, trying to make do."
A young woman with a warm smile and matching personality, she's a high school dropout who later earned a GED. Her future should be hopeful, yet hard times have left her with doubt.
She's not alone, either. Another teenager told me a similar story about closed doors. A high school senior, she said college is an option -- but not a very good one.
"I know people with master's degrees who can't find work," she said.
It's true, of course. I know someone with two master's degrees who had a hard time getting a job in a coffee bar.
Sure, we've just lived through the toughest economic period in America since the Great Depression. But technical training is far more valuable than ever, and the service industry is desperate for young people willing to work hard with an eye toward managerial advancement.
Also, the economy is getting better, and hope in America is far from gone.
We've just got to get that message out to young people.
E-mail David Magee at dmagee@timesfreepress.com.