Why is Debt the Enemy?

Society seems to see debt as a tool that enables us to live the life we want to live and have the things we want to have. The problem with this belief is that it is completely FALSE!

A more accurate description of what debt is would be that it is the biggest hindrance to having a life at all. What good is having things and doing things if it means you owe someone else long afterward? Debt is slavery plain and simple.

It forces people to do things they don’t want to do and if you don’t believe me then why do so many people claim to hate their jobs? Why would you do something you hate? People work jobs they hate because they don’t have as many choices because they HAVE TO make enough to cover their growing minimum payments. Short of looking for a different job with slightly more pay, the minimum payments that need to be made in order to pay for the debt lifestyle confines them to keep working that job.

Do you hate your job?

There is almost no good reason, aside from owning a home (and I have my own opinions about that as well), to go into debt to own anything. Even student loans are becoming burdensome with ever rising education costs and a society that thinks the cost of that education is worth the slavery that comes with it. Some specialized fields of study certainly require expensive degrees but do people really need to rack up 40K of debt for a general studies diploma?

Don’t even get me started on the burden of credit card debt in this country. People pay for cups of coffee with credit among other things with absolutely no intention of paying the balance off at the end of the month. So instead of a cup of coffee costing them $5 it ends up costing them much much more due to the interest that is paid each and every month thereafter.

Debt keeps you trapped in a cycle that can only be escaped when you see debt for what it is.

DEBT IS STUPID!

Debt is the agreement to pay more for something than it’s actually worth. Isn’t that stupid?

It’s the dumbest way to own anything. People may get offended by that statement because it insinuates they have done something stupid. I’ve done lots of stupid things and yes that includes going into debt to own things and I fully accept that. You shouldn’t be embarrassed that you’ve done stupid (we all have), but you should be embarrassed that you continue to do stupid even though it is costing you dearly.

• What about working a job you love?
• What about emergency savings?
• What about spending more time with your family?
• What about paying for your children’s college tuition?
• What about retirement?
• What about building wealth?
• What about being able to GIVE?

DEBT IS THE ENEMY because it makes all of those things much much harder to achieve!