I am tired of seeing all the bloggers out there who keep ranting about people who are in debt but are not ‘doing anything about it’.
While I am not advocating being in debt by any means we need to realize that sometimes it is just the only way that you can survive. I remember a time not too long ago when I thought my world was going to end because I lost my job. During that time I had to rely on my credit cards because I did not have enough savings to carry me through the upcoming months.
This was not because I had gone out and spent all of my money frivolously, but because I did not have any money to start with. I had to take a large loan to go to school and then I spent most of the last seven years going to school. I was working part time in a minimum wage job….not by choice but because I had to. Enough about me and back to generalizations. Some people may be placed in a situation where they cannot do anything else but rack up more debt because they CAN only afford to pay the minimums on a credit card.
People sell plasma to get by sometimes because they cannot get another job. If you can clearly tell that someone is just sitting around and not doing anything then you may be justified in saying they need to get up and find another job. But if you do not know the details of the person’s life and how he or she got into the debt trap then you are just debtor bashing and that is not cool.
Oh, don’t let it get you down. Some people have no idea.
Not everyone has ever had to work for a living. Some people have had mommy and daddy take care of everything for them. They have no idea what it is to actually accomplish anything in their entire life because they’ve had everything handed to them. But just wait. It will get better. Because those same people have absolutely zero coping skills. Those are the people who end up with a therapist. I’ve dealt with them before in the psych hospital where I’ve worked.
Because when something bad happens in life, you can say to yourself “well, if I got through college, I can get through this” but all those types of people can do is cry to mommy and daddy.
So suck it up and keep moving. They don’t affect you and you don’t affect them.
-jag
I agree with your post. Frankly, I was in a similar situation. Ten years ago I lost my job and got buried in debt ($30,000+, all in credit cards). Through hard work, and alot of luck my fortunes changed. Now at 38 I have a net worth in excess of $1 million and live a very comfortable life. But I don’t forget those tough years and I never bash those who are down on their luck. You don’t know what the future holds for those people; nor do we know their individual situations.
Keep up the good work on your blog. I enjoy the read.
Randy
hey Randy thanks for your comments. I am glad to know that you were able to dig out of the debt and now you are happier. It is good that you remember what you went through because some people just put it out of their minds and act like they always had money. They forget the struggles and I think that is sad.