Americans Grasp for More
Our interviews continue with
President Obama and Aesop. The two have agreed on fables to
address the American people and assist them in decisions. The
topics covered so far have been Americans' retirement concerns and who
is to blame for this financial crisis. We look now to where
the debt for many Americans is coming from.
President Obama: Americans are in
major debt. Whether we want to admit it or not, we have put
ourselves in this position. Americans turn to the use of credit
cards and obtaining loans. I know we cannot afford all that we
want, but living on credit cards and loans is hurting the American
people. Aesop, how do you recommend addressing this concern?
Aesop:
A fable of mine, The Man and The Golden Eggs, comes quickly to
mind. There was a man with a hen. This hen was a
treasure for the man because she laid golden eggs. The hen would
lay one golden egg per day. The man being greedy and impatient
wanted more than the one golden egg per day. He thought if he
slaughtered the hen he could have all of the golden eggs. To the
man's disappointment there were no golden eggs inside the hen.
President Obama: The moral of
the story would be people often grasp for more than they need and thus
lose the little they had.
Aesop:
Exactly right! The American people use credit cards
and obtain loans as a way of gaining more treasure. For example,
if a person who is living paycheck to paycheck opens a credit card
account,
they turn to the credit card to consume products, while the
amount in their checking account may be zero. On the other
hand, a person may have many credit cards and manage them well in the
beginning, but end up in debt due to dependency. These people are
like the man in the story. He becomes dependent on the golden
eggs to the point he becomes desperate, slaughtering the hen in hopes
to gain more treasure.
President Obama: If
I understand you correctly, the hen's golden egg represents the
credit cards and loans. The American people in an attempt to get
ahead want more. The man slaughtered the hen. The American
people open another credit card or apply for another loan.
Aesop's fable concerning the cause
for American's debt:
America is a
consuming society. Americans grasp for more even if the treasure
is out of their reach. If Americans keep grasping, they will end
up with nothing because more is never enough.
Aesop:
The man is greedy, wanting more. The hen is a source of treasure,
but requires wise decision making. Americans should spend their
money wisely. Their credit cards and loans are golden eggs: the
stipulation is you have to stay within your daily limit.
Author's Note: I retold the story
The
Man and The Golden Eggs. The story is explained within the
retelling of the story. The hen lays golden eggs which are of
value to the man. The man only gets one golden egg a day.
He becomes impatient and greedy, wanting more. The man slaughters
the hen. He is disappointed to find no golden eggs within the
hen. His treasure is gone forever. American people use
credit cards and loans to obtain "treasures" that are out of reach
otherwise. True, some people manage their use of credit cards and
loans without any trouble. Also, in these trying times paying for
gas or groceries with credit cards may be a reasonable resolution
especially if you have lost your job. These habits can lead to
major amounts of debt. The golden egg so to speak can be
stripped from the American people. Obtaining many loans and
opening credit cards can assist in the disappearance of the golden egg.
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