Carol H Tucker Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan
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beladona Memorial Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...
Today I was idly scanning the blogs that I accumulate on Newsblur [which is where I landed when Google pulled the plug on Reader] and ran across a Phys.org news article about the use of debt [specifically credit cards] by “economically vulnerable” households to maintain a lifestyle. Fascinated I read about “consumption smoothing,” which is apparently an economic theory that can be reduced to a mathematical equation.
Now unless you are a member of the fabulously wealthy 1% and have never ever had to worry about where the next meal is coming from, or how to make the rent [or house] payment, or been threatened with repossession of a car, or decided not to go to the doctor because it costs too much… *clears throat*
Let’s try that again. Unless you never have had to worry about money, you are probably familiar with the attitude one gets at times when you decide to live that middle class lifestyle because you consider yourself fairly well off. “Dagnabit!” the thought goes, “I get up and go to work every day and make decent wages and I want _____________” You fill in the blank. Maybe it is the latest tech toy. Maybe you would like to take a cruise or a trip to Disney World. Maybe you want to buy new clothes or shoes. Maybe you want to get your kids something special for their birthday/graduation/Christmas. Whatever it is, you put it on the credit card and it is more than you can pay off at the end of this month. Or the end of next month. Or by the time the next “dagnabit” moment arrives and you just want/need/crave that feeling that there is more to life than just paying bills. Or your crystal ball fails and suddenly you have a loss of income or someone gets sick or…..
Been there, done that, threw away the Tshirt. Once you are behind the proverbial 8-ball, you are just plain in trouble.
Maybe you should think about that “dagnabit” moment a bit before you go judging someone who is downright poor and maybe getting assistance and start self-righteously shaming them. Don’t they deserve a bit of feeling good about their lot in life too?
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