We appear to be obsessed with misery. The number of shows you can watch depicting horrible crimes carried out by loved ones or perfect strangers points to this fact. I recently stumbled upon a Dateline channel on Sirius dedicated to providing listeners to the gruesome details of one murder after another. I’ll admit to listening for longer than what can be deemed healthy, but it’s really easy to get sucked into the depravity of it all.
Personally, I think channels like Dateline and other shows about crime exist to do one thing: they make us feel better about ourselves.
Think about this in the context of anything having to do with a neighbor, friend or loved one. It’s very easy to say, “I’d never do that,” or “wow, that was a stupid decision. I’m so happy that’s not me.” If these words have never crept into your mind, you’re a much better person than me or the majority of us on the planet.
The reality is, any of us could be caught in an unexpected situation either by our own doing or because of someone else’s poor decision.
Years ago, my friends and I were in Charleston for the weekend. As I sat off the end of the boat in the water, relieving myself due to one too many beers, my friend took off leaving me stranded in the middle of the harbor. As I sat there treading water, a massive shipping container about 20 yards away drove past. Had that container ship been heading my way, escaping it would have been impossible, and I surely would have drowned. What ended up being a funny story as I climbed into the boat a few minutes later, could’ve ended in disaster.
Lives would’ve been ruined, potential prison time loomed and an untimely death all due to young stupidity.
I’m not saying all of us would go out tomorrow and commit a premeditated murder; however, is it so impossible to think you could make a mistake? Getting in a fight and bashing a beer bottle over someone’s head isn’t all that hard to conceive when alcohol, adrenaline and additional poor choices enter the mix.
The same can be said about our choices with money. It’s easy to pass judgement on someone for making a poor decision with credit or to purchase an item they can ill afford. The reality is often much more nuanced. Being good with money is a skill, one that’s not readily taught in school or passed down from parents to their children.
Conversations about money amongst friends and neighbors can be taboo. It’s much easier to criticize without having all the facts or having ever had a discussion about a particular situation. Clearing the hurdle of being uncomfortable to help those in need will go a long way toward eliminating unsecured debt and poor financial decisions in our country. Helping your neighbor rather than reveling in their misery will not only make you feel better, it will help them and their family succeed financially.
I’ll leave you with this.
Be sure to always check the side of your boat before taking off. You just might have a straggler clinging to the side.
