Being in debt means using up the future in the present. Essentially, it’s about how we manage our time. Therefore, the most valuable resource for debtors is time, and it depends on which side time favors. Paying off debt is like repaying borrowed future time early. When the ability to generate wealth over time decreases, the future time becomes a burden, and the debtor faces the pain of bankruptcy. Taking on debt is costly. It may seem like borrowed money is repaid with money, but the irreplaceable resource of time is also returned along with interest. With the rise of postpaid credit cards as a common payment method, we’ve become less sensitive to the associated pain and cost. There are two ways to spend money: using present time or future time. The costs and pain are much higher when the future is spent as if it were the present. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
The professions that people admire in the United States include police officers and firefighters. Another group of people is carpenters. A key concept in economic activity is “independence,” which means the ability to earn a living on my own. Carpenters and masons are vital for constructing houses and cities, and the skills involved in producing or creating something are crucial to achieving independence. I cannot leave my future in someone else’s hands. Poverty also implies that I am enslaved. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”