Read at Your Own Risk

Oprah had an episode this week about people learning how to cut back on their out-of-control spending for the first time in their lives.

I watched with my mouth hanging open and shaking my head at the stories of how so many people have been on wild spending sprees for years and now find themselves in severe debt.

Are people really that stupid?

In the hysteria, they chose not to put money aside for savings, college and emergency funds in lieu of homes they can’t afford, wide screen televisions, designer clothes, luxury cars and exotic vacations. And now they’re shocked at what they’ve created and act as though they don’t even know what a budget is.

Somehow, I find this hard to believe.

I’m trying to understand what’s behind this behavior and what would make so many people chose material things over their own kids futures, or their futures for that matter. Is advertising that powerful or is it just keeping up appearances? Have we really gotten that shallow that it’s all about the handbag and address and not strength of character? Is self-esteem at an all-time low and the things are an attempt to fill the void?

Someone, please help me out here.

Over the past couple of years, I looked around and wondered how people afforded the lifestyles they were living. I wanted to know what industry they were in because it looked like a great life. They were having a good time and I was just working all the time. What the hell was I doing wrong? I wanted a fun life full of parties and vacations too.

And then the stories began to unfold.

It was all a facade.

It wasn’t their money they were spending, it was someone else's. Easy credit was handed out whether it was earned or not and people were all too eager to grab without considering the consequences.


I imagine what this looks like to the less fortunate people around the world as they watch the abuse of power and greed shown on television. We are custodians of great fortunes and freedom with no ceiling, and with that comes responsibility.

Fortunately, not everyone has been living delusional lives of grandeur. There are a lot of us living within our means and accountable for our actions. We’re all in this together, and we’ll ride it out together. If anything, I hope these tough times bring back the values we lost along the way.