I've been apartment hunting. Such an odd thing, since they need to deem you a person who is worthy of being rented to. It got me thinking about our society and the embarrassment of credit. What is credit? It supposedly an indicator that you are a responsible person with money. When I was a kid I remember my mom absolutely despised credit. She couldn't even stand hearing us kids tell her she owed us allowance. What is being owed something if it isn't slavery.
Okay I went too far.
But people put so much emphasis on having good credit. Yeah, our financial blanket is screwed because we weren't looking out. But if you see how the fat cats live, it's always in limbo, and always on the precipice of bankruptcy. Trump's been to the bottom. If we were to base our income to debt ratio, you think he'd have a better score than you? Uh-huh. And yet, we're the ones who feel a sense of sickness creep into our pride when we're investigated to figure out if we're worthy. I guess it all depends on how you handle the situation. Think what they should really try to figure out is how one got to where they got in financial issues.
One thing I noticed, and this should in NO WAY make it alright...everyone has some level of credit/money issue. I learned this thru a quick survey of people around me. The places I went to search for apartments...not one manager slammed the door in my face. Quite the contrary, they were relatively pleasant. Somewhat sardonic. Often times compassionate. This would've been a bloodbath in the 1980's. I would've been blacklisted, red markered...out on the rails if they saw my credit history. It's been said before but I guess it bears repeating, EVERYONE has to have credit history.
So what happens? They hit you up in college. Lots of offers for cards. Warnings were there, but no one listens. You buy books. Stiff coffee drinks. Lab supplies. Art supplies. Syllabuses. Food. Clothes. Booze. You party like you have a future, which...of course we have a future...we're going to college! Then when you graduate, you're in some weird limbo of financial nightmare. How'd it happen? Go over the list and you realize howit happened. On top of all that, you don't have parents that can bail you out. Luckily, mine did the best they could. I'm shocked they were able to afford college for 3 children. That's an act of thrift if I ever heard. Doesn't occur to any of us that we can live below our means. BUT, and this is a long "but"...we've seen what the bottom was and NONE of us want to get there. Instead, we get things we never earned.
My 1st job was when I was 14. Had to have my mom sign off on me. Loved it. Loved earning a paycheck. It was printed right on the check. It was official. I was on the grid.
So, growing up I had a work ethic. People play the lottery, in hopes of never having to work again. It never interested me. Remember I was the same kid who got the perfect attendance award and didn't show up to accept it. I had nothing better to do but to work. And I loved seeing that thru my parents.
Recently I had to train a kid in my job. His father was a very high profile lawyer. The kid never worked a day in his life. It was the strangest thing to have to deal with that, because usually you can relate stories of making stupid pizzas. Or scalding stories because fry grease melted off your fingerprints. Instead, this kid did the least possible and whined constantly. He isn't America. But he is a replica of his generation. Not that I fault him. His parents gave him everything. Never had debt in his life. Would not live beneath his means. I use to have a term for kids like him to come out to Los Angeles. They were "paid orphans." The parents basically paid to have them out of their site doing a hobby and calling it a job. They threw money at the issue, because in some odd way, that was good parenting. Never had debt. Doesn't know what no-frills generic food looks like. Am I bitter for his fortunate upbringing? Not at all. If he has no worries, he has no worries. But where does character come from? Does it come from dealing with the realistic world that won't hand them everything? That, most people face more disappointment in one day then he will in his entire lifetime?
This new year brings me to a new part of my life. Closing in on 40 years of age. Leaving that security blanket that has been easy. I think if we don't take chances, we're shortchanging ourselves. I'm going to flip my attitude this year. Nothing that isn't a challenge isn't worth taking on.
