I have a lot of fear around money. Growing up, there was a sense that there wasn't enough. It seemed that we were always on the verge of catastrophe. And yet, somehow we always managed to get by. In fact, my mom was the kind of person who would use her last dollar to take us out for ice cream. We were encouraged to enjoy life today. Who knows what tomorrow might bring.
My son did not grow up with the same sense of scarcity. He seems confident that the universe will always provide everything he needs. I suspect he is right.
I still have a lot of fear around money--in fact, I was thinking the other day that I let it rule my life. Whenever I buy something, get rid of something, or break something there is an underlying tension about money and survival. I should get a clue--if I am going to buy it, I should enjoy it and not have to pay a psychological as well as a financial cost.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere recently that people in Denmark are some of the happiest in the world (despite cold, dark, damp winters). The reason given was that they have a good safety net -- if they lose their jobs, they don't lose their houses, if they get sick, they don't end up broke. I suspect they have much less fear about money. We get a second whammy concerning money in that here in America status is so often tied directly to money, not creativity, goodness, or other characteristics that could be valued by a society. So, if you lose your money, you not only lose your life security (food, house, and so forth), but also your status.
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