Great conversation about Why the Poor Will Always Be With Us. I wanted to continue that by addressing some of the issues raised from the ‘soap box’ I’ve been given. (wink)
I raised the issue that more money does not solve the problems of people who do not know how to manage it. JDawg and Lisa asked me what my solution would be. Financial education is my solution. There is a lack of people who are financially educated, not that there is lack of resources. Money cannot solve poverty. Allow me this fabulous quote:
The one problem money cannot solve is poverty. While there are many underlying causes of poverty, one of the causes is lack of financial education. The problem with throwing money at the issue of poverty is that money only creates more poor people and keeps people poorer longer…
As your financial education increases, you will start to see opportunities everywhere.”
One commenter, Steve , nailed it on the head when he stated that it is people that are the problem. Steve also mentioned that it’s difficult to create a broad finance program solution. As my partner in crime (over at NLL) Kimber likes to say, “Personal finance is just that- personal.”
In this country, in this day and age, anyone can make it. Opportunity is all around. People who have achieved a remarkable level of financial success all know that they started somewhere, and for many of them, it was with nothing. But they wanted it more and hustled harder. They figured out how to make it happen.
You will not find a lot of sympathy from people who have been successful. They know it can be done. They know you can do it too if you want to. Sympathy, according to the Dalai Lama implies pity for someone, making you better than them.
If you want to better your financial situation, there are resources everywhere. First you have to accept personal responsibility for your own life, your actions and your consequences. We are all exactly where we have chosen to be.
Just as it is not Mc Donald’s fault you’re a little extra cuddly, it is not the credit card company’s fault that you are in debt.
Phil John suggested that some people might just be dealt a bad hand in life. A friend of mine who is a professional poker player told me once that the cards you are dealt mean very little. It’s everything else that matters, such as how other people play their cards, and being able to anticpate what they are going to do. I believe the same is true in life.
If you find yourself poor and uncomfortable, you may not be as uncomfortable as you think you are. When the pain becomes too great, you will do something about it. As another good friend of mine says, “When you are ready to make money, you will.” In order to be rich, you have to be afraid of being poor. I believe anyone and everyone is capable (with very few exceptions) of educating themselves about how to make money, manage money, and keep that money. It comes down to the person taking the steps to do something about it. Everyone can. Not everyone will.