The first C in the three Cs is circumstances.
So when we look at circumstances,
we can at least be looking at it like from three levels.
The first level is what I would refer to as, the macro level,
which is talking about the big picture.
We can be talking about, say, the financial meltdown, like global warming.
And then, the other aspect that I really want to draw attention to is
like what I would call demographics and more specifically historic demography.
Say for example, if you happen to be a Baby Boomer, then you have a very
different life than someone who is like born into another historic period.
So this is like part of the big picture circumstances that you're a part of,
like if you're born like in 1945,
you have a very different life than someone who is born in 1985.
The next level is what I refer to as the mezzo level.
It is sort of like more like local realities.
Say for example, I'm now living in Canada and
I'm living like under like a particular political, legal, taxation,
education, and healthcare system, which may be the same or
very different than that in the country that you are from.
And when we like look at these circumstances, we also have
to understand that like this can be referring to like very
specific changes in the regional or local context.
Like say here in Canada, fluctuations in the natural resource
market would have like some direct impact on our economy.
And if you're from a country that is not as reliant on
natural resources as we are, then like you have a different reality.
Here in the city that I'm living in, the public transit system and
the Internet service were pretty like annoying and
frustrating, but compared like to the better run systems in other parts of the world.
If you are from a city with like better public transits systems, and better access
to the internet, then your circumstances would be different than mine.
And then when we get down to the other aspect of the mezzo
reality, we can be referring to what I sometimes
called the social/cultural reality or your immediate social/cultural realities.
That refers to your social circle, your reference groups,
the people you hang out with, and the kind of culture, and their support, their values,
like a conventional practices that are popular among these people you know.
Then like we can come to the third level, the micro level of circumstances.
That is what I would call your personal circumstances.
It can be like your employment status.
like you're employed full time, part time, unemployed.
It can also be referring to your like health condition.
Are you in good health or not in good health?
It can also be referring to your life stage, whether you are now like a student or
you are just beginning a career or you have like just
finished like parenting your children and now you are into the next phase of your life.
Or you're taking care of your aging parents.
So these are your like personal circumstances.
It can also include, say, your relationship status,
whether you're single, like divorced, or widowed.
So those are your personal circumstances.
