That’s right. It’s easier to be stupid than it is be smart.
It is easier to listen to the political pundits and television news anchors and trust their words completely than it is to study, read, and search to discover the truth about a political issue or to actually read one of the bills or proposals you are so vehemently for or against.
It is easier to believe Rush or O’Reilly or Hannity or Olberman or Rachel or Beck or even Larry Winget than it is to actually do a little fact checking of your very own. It’s work to find the truth out about any issue, so it’s easier to just accept what you hear as fact.
It is easier to listen to the preachers and believe every word they say from their pulpit than it is to read the book yourself, or maybe lots of books and search for your own insight and develop your beliefs based on your own experiences.
It’s easier to just toe the party line because you are registered Democrat or Republican than it is to ask whether the party line makes sense or not.
It’s easier to believe your doctor when he tells you that you should take a pill rather than to do some research or get a second opinion to find out if he knows what he is talking about or whether he is padding his pocket and those of the pharmaceutical companies.
It’s easier to buy a pill or have surgery to lose the pounds than it is to start eating right and doing some exercise.
It’s easier to steal a car than it is to get a job, earn money, build credit and buy a car.
It’s easy to charge something than it is to pay cash.
It’s easier to blame than to take responsibility.
Bottom line it’s just easier to be stupid and do stupid things.
Smart people take responsibility for their lives. They require a lot from themselves and from others. Smart people work hard and pay their bills. Smart people are good parents. Smart people are concerned about their health and the health of their family.
The argument from many is going to be that there are many smart people who aren’t good parents. Or that there are smart people who don’t work hard or pay their bills. Or that there are plenty of smart people who are obese. You can’t sell me on that argument. These people all might be intelligent, but they aren’t smart, they are stupid.
Being smart requires that you do the right thing or at least work at trying to do the right thing.
We are a society who loves to brag about how smart we are. But are we? It doesn’t appear so on many fronts. Being smart requires that we be responsible and that simply is not the case for most people. We require almost nothing of ourselves that involves any real work, effort or sacrifice.
The Bible says “to whom much is given, much is required.” And each of us has been given a lot.
We have been given a great planet to live on yet we stupidly spend most of our day destroying it. After all, it’s work to conserve. It requires sacrifice. Not big sacrifices for sure, but even a small sacrifice requires more of us than no sacrifice. “Give up my gas guzzler? No way!” “Put in energy conserving light bulbs? They cost a dollar more!” “Turn up my thermostat two degrees? What? I’ve earned the right to be as cool as I want to be!”
We have been given a job yet few people do more than what is minimally required of them in order to keep their job and draw their check. After all, giving your best requires integrity and it easier to live without integrity than with it.
We have been given great kids yet we don’t communicate with them, spend much time with them or set good examples for them.
We are given great civil liberties yet few people vote or become involved.
Most of us were given health yet we ate our way, smoked our way and lazyed our way out of that great gift.
We have been given the opportunity to accomplish great things yet we squander that opportunity by sitting on our ass and watching mindless drivel on the television.
We have been given all the keys to success, happiness and prosperity but only a few will ever bother to read the books that hold those keys.
Instead, we take the easy way out. The stupid way out. Because anything else would require effort and few are willing to put in the effort to change their lives or their circumstances.
Instead, they would rather just complain about the hand they have been dealt and their lot in life. They would rather bitch about Obama or Bush or the stupidity of others than own up to their own laziness and stupidity. They would rather blame the economy or Wall Street rather than own up to the fact that they overspent and never saved. They would rather blame their boss than own up to the fact that they called in sick when they weren’t and took longer breaks than allowed and gave 75% effort instead of 100%. They would rather blame the school system than realize that they never spent any time with their kids making sure they could add or read or spell. They would rather blame the government for squandering their tax dollars than admit that they cheated on their own income taxes.
Being given much really does mean that much is required of you.
It means that if you have money, you are required to do the right thing with your money including saving, investing, spending and being charitable.
It means that if you have kids you are required to talk to them, spend time with them, teach them and set a good example for them.
It means that if you have a job you are required to give it your best for no other reason than you were hired to do so.
It also means that if you are smart, you are required to use your smarts in ways that serve yourself, your family and others in responsible ways. And that requires work. That’s why it’s easier to be stupid – it doesn’t really require any work.
I will readily admit that I often do take the easy way out myself. I find it easier to NOT do something than it is to do something. I try not to get caught in that trap often and I try not to let it spread like a cancer into all areas of my life. I try to recognize it quickly, correct it even quicker and get back on track immediately. But it still happens and I still offer myself excuses for it. Bottom line: There is no excuse. Doing the easy thing is rarely about doing the right thing. If the wind is at your back, you are going the wrong direction.
What are YOU doing? Are you taking the easy way out?
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Can’t agree with you more Larry. Life is full of choices, and good or bad, we have to admit we are where we are because of them. Once you do, you can harness your powers for good, and get yourself where you want to go. Accept your choices, make new ones, and get going.
And yet again Larry hits another one out of the park!!
Have you ever seen Big Spender on A&E? Larry confronts people who are idiots and rips their ass a new one, for dumb things they do. Excuses have to stop period.
When I first read the line “to whom much is given, much is required” I took a different slant (before completing the article) I “heard” The more you give someone something the more they are going to take. which also fits in with your article. The more people are spoiled, irresponsible, “self-victimized” the more entitled they feel to what ever they want and can justify whatever means they take to get it.
Something happened in this country when we stopped allowing people to have low self-esteem, stopped allowing failure and mistakes. We started accepting stupid as an excuse and stopped enforcing accountability- with ourselves, our children, our teachers, our elected officials.
When did become so wrong to accept that life is not fair? Why did we stop believing that we each have to be responsible for ourselves and we have an obligation, in spite of fairness, to be courteous if not respectful of eachother? The simple phase “do unto others, as you would have done to yourself” is all it takes.
I can really appreciate the message here, Larry. This blog entry sums up the body of your work in the best way possible. It’s very close to the way I try to sum your books up when recommending them to a friend for the first time. The short version goes kind of like this: “Larry isn’t so much a motivational speaker or self-help guru. He’s more like that one friend that will always call you on your bullshit.”
Thanks for being you, discouraging ‘Winget-dittoheads’, and calling me on my bullshit – or reminding me to call bullshit on myself from time to time. 😉
In classic kneejerk reaction, I am generally inclined to agree.
However…
….since you don’t want us just knee jerking our way through life, I suppose I should at least give some counterpoints to your argument.
Firstly, many people have worked hard to ensure that people are as comfortable as possible. Entire companies are designed and flourish as a result of overindulgence. While much of this may be perceived as wrong, it is still a part of our society and contributes to a large portion of our economy. Making things easy, and thus, people lazy, is what has fueled the technology sector for the last few years (in my opinion, anyway). Despite any arguments we have against it, they are irrelevant because there is simply nothing we can do to stop it. As long as there is a free market, there will always be people trying to sell things to make life easier, and always people wanting to live easy. Can you imagine marketers trying to sell more difficult, less user friendly products to people?
Secondly, if I work hard, and want to be lazy on the weekends, then I will be. I think every now and then you have to take care of yourself, because if you don’t, then you lose your mind. The Bible also talks about “taking the plank out of my own eye before I take the splinter out of someone else’s.” While most people look at that with regard to accusations, I tend to look at it this way: Take care of yourself, so you have the strength and the energy to take care of others. If people can’t take care of themselves, how can they take care of their kids? And how can they take care of themselves if they don’t know how to? Who’s job is it to tell them? Hell if I know. I’ve been trying to for years as a counselor.
I guess my point is, while I agree, I’m not sure what we can do about the rest of America. If we’d stop hiding behind the pollitically correct BS and stop worrying about whether or not we’ve hurt someone’s feelings by calling them out on being lazy or stupid, maybe then we’d see more people being smarter and working harder.
But we won’t, because its easier not to. 🙂
Larry, You’ve done it again. Telling people they are stupid, and most of us are, unless they take responsibility for themselves, their actions, and their lives.
What was that line from Forrest Gump “stupid is as stupid does”
I’ve been stupid many times throughout my life. I’ve been smart a couple of times too but the stupid times always outweigh an hurt so much more.
Its hard to make smart decisions. Smart decisions can initially make you feel stupid, hurt your pride, make you feel foolish, and quite possibly help you.
Your writing encouraged me to make a recent smart decision. In an effort to rebuild my financial life I recently sold my car. A porsche I could no longer afford the payments on; the fact of the matter is I never really could afford it even though I could have paid cash for the thing when I bought it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I could afford it then or now. But I sold it back to the dealer who I bought it from for just what I owed on it. It made me feel stupid because I put $25,000 down and paid $725 per month in payments for three years (with two more years to go), but the point is even though I walk away from this money I no longer have the car payment I can’t afford. And I won’t have Porsche repossessing my car.
Through a recent business failure I am now broke. I thought I was formerly a well off man, but self analysis (with your help) has detailed the root cause of my problems, me. I spent to much living a well off lifestyle, lots of toys, lots of debt, and too much pride. As I face losing my house, and everything else, I was forced to stop making stupid decisions, and starting making smart decisions.
I want to thank you for calling me to the stupid carpet.
It is easier to do nothing than something. Given a choice most people will take the easy way out. Mankind fits a pretty decent bell curve for many attributes including intelligence and and the willingness to take action.
A small percentage of people are willing to take action and have the intelligence to do it. The majority of people are willing to simply follow along being lemmings and walking straight off a cliff.
To keep from being stupid – put some effort into your life, read, ask questions, get some written goals and a plan in your life. Take action. Take action. Take action.
Larry-
In many cases, people defer to those who have more knowledge than they have. For example, when your doctor prescribes a medication. Don’t think of it as the doctor padding their own pocket and/or those of the pharmaceutical companies. Think of it as the doctor having paid big, big bucks to complete medical school and therefore knowing more about what is best for your health compared to you as a layman without all that knowledge.
Larry – thank you so much for this blog entry, you don’t know how relevant it is to my life right now. I have an uncle, a generally good man whom I love, who is also an ultra-right wing paranoid conspiracy nut constantly sending me emails from people claiming everything from: swine flu is a result of genetic modifications engineered by Taliban scientists and released into Mexico so the “illegals” will spread it to the American people, to Hilary Clinton having her own personal “assassin squad” in the 80’s to get rid of people trying to get her investigated to a petition to all the State Attorneys General asking them to investigate Obama for not “having a US birth certificate”.
Every time he sends me something like this, I re-direct him to Snopes or The Smirking Chimp to show him how crazy these are and try to get him to realize how irresponsible it is to believe and pass along this kind of trash without making the slightest attempt to verify it. Sometimes though, finding a reliable, non-partisan place to verify facts is very difficult.
Thank you for encouraging people to make the effort to research questions for themselves and be responsible for the content of their thoughts and conversations, instead of insisting they disengage their frontal lobes as so many “talking heads” do.
Larry, I have two quotes
“If you are going to grow up stupid, you better grow up tough” and “You can change, but you cant fix stupid”.
We all do stupid things. If we learn from them we can grow. But recognizing what we have done as stupid and changing ourselves is what makes us grow. We no longer let stupid people suffer from the consequences of their actions. In this country there is never a reason for any child to go to bed hungry or dirty. But as a consequence of their parents stupid actions, it happens.
All actions have consequences in direct proportion to their input. What you sow you reap. We do stupid things, we get stupid rewards, we change and start doing smart (or less stupid) things we get rewarded with better things.
Larry,
Spot on once again! The only thing I would add reading your last paragraph is Yoda’s quote: “Do or do not, there is no try”. Either you do or you don’t. Yes, I am fairly black and white too.
Keep writing!
Bravo
Great minds think alike.
I try not to dwell on my faults. I figure out a way to trump them. Each day is time to do something different.
I have to review your new book.
Hey Jim V. If I am not mistaken isn’t what Larry is trying to convey basicaly the same message that you say you counsel others to do?
If we all were too take some responsibility for our actions, just maybe; Think of the possibilities.
Think for ourselves, be healthyer, get educated. I don’t think so, it is much easier to be led too the feed bucket than to learn how to fill it ourselves. News, whats more inportant than Brittany, Paris, or any other thing that will keep your mind off what is really going down.
Larry: thanks for being youself.
Larry,
I have been reading “Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill” at work on my breaks. I try to hide the cover as to not invite comments from “idiots”, but one just couldn’t stop himself. This will help your point. He asked what I was reading, I showed him the book cover, he laughed.
“I have read all of those ‘self help’ books and they never did s**t for me. It ends with you realizing that you wasted your money, your time and your life helping someone else get rich. They are ALL rip offs. I should know,” and hear’s the kicker “I am twice your age, son. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”
What he doesn’t know is, my wife and I have purchased 2 modest rental properties in the last two years, and plan to open a gift and card shop in the next month. My wife had her hours at work cut wayyyyyy back, so she will be running the shop during the day and I’ll it in the evening. I might be laid off soon, so I’ll be helping her all the time then. I also have a nice sized savings account that will sustain us for a year without working. SO, am I the smart one for investing my time and energy in something other then relying on my job and company to always care for me? or is it the guy who had to try and make me feel like the “idiot” he is?
Larry Larry Larry… as usual, such a great take on things… except… for your last paragraph…
– I will readily admit that I often do take the easy way out myself. I find it easier to NOT do something than it is to do something. I try not to get caught in that trap often and I try not to let it spread like a cancer into all areas of my life. I try to recognize it quickly, correct it even quicker and get back on track immediately. But it still happens and I still offer myself excuses for it. Bottom line: There is no excuse. Doing the easy thing is rarely about doing the right thing. If the wind is at your back, you are going the wrong direction. –
I read an article long ago that just made perfect sense. It was called “The Trouble With Trying.” It basically said that using the word “try” is to imply failure… in essence, giving yourself permission to fail. When I “try” to lose some weight or I “try” to be a better person/parent/spouse, all I’m doing is allowing myself in advance to fail.
So when Larry Winget says he’s “trying” not to “get caught in that trap often” or “trying” not to “let it spread like a cancer into all areas of my life” or “trying” to “recognize it quickly, correct it even quicker and get back on track immediately, ” exactly what IS Larry Winget “trying” to do?
Yes Larry, we all (myself included) fall into the “trying” trap more often than we’d like to admit. But personally, I don’t feel it’s an excuse. I think it’s a general flaw, inbred in our societal thinking, that it’s OK to “try” – to give yourself permission to fail. It is – NOT OK – and the sooner we all recognize this trap the sooner we’ll all realize we can overcome it. From personal experience, I can honestly say this may be the single most difficult mental paradigm I’ve encountered in my entire life. So I’m cutting you some slack here when I comment on your use of the word “try” because I respect your writing, ideas and philosophy… and your writing certainly influences many people in a very positive way. But…
To cite your own example of “trying” to attend a party (from Shut Up and Stop Whining), I’d hope that if ever I were in Phoenix to visit my sister, that you wouldn’t just “try” to meet us for coffee. Unlike the Facebook moron, we’re just normal people who respect your ideology… and time. (She keeps a sharp eye out for the “Winner” plate!)
One last thing… on you last comment – “Doing the easy thing is rarely about doing the right thing. If the wind is at your back, you are going the wrong direction.”
“Easy” and “Right” will always be subjective personal decisions… but if you truly are “steering your own ship,” you would WANT the wind at your back…
All the best, my learned friend…
Tom V
Hi Larry,
great entry! A few months back, before I discovered your books and website, I used to act rather stupid in many areas of my life. I still managed to finish university and get a job, though not full-time. Then I found your books and began to act as you suggest. Now, after one year in my job, I am respected as a person you knows what he is doing and my bosses and co-workers fully agree that I should get a full-time job. Unfortunately, it is not up to them, because I work in public administration, and so the politics have to decide whether I get a full-time job or not. But it looks good!
Also, when I first started this job, I had another part time job. I could life with the money I make in my “main job”, but I wanted to save something. Therefore I kept my part time job, though it was sometimes really challenging to get the two jobs together. Now I quit the part time job, because I work more hours on my main job, without being paid extra, yet. But I managed to save enough money to go on a nice vacation this summer. I also invest 50 Euros every month and spend 50 Euros a month for “SOS Kinderdorf”, an institution that gives children a new home. I have less money to spend for fun things at the moment, but that’s okay with me because I know I’m doing the right thing and I still have everything I need.
As I said, I managed to save enough to make a trip to California this summer. I’ve never been to the USA and I can’t wait to find out whether most americans are stupid, as you say, or if the customer service is really that good in America (as many germany believe!).
So thanks again Larry, your advise really works when you apply it. It’s not enough to just read your books and blog, you have to act.
Greetings from Germany
Christian
Quote from Idiocracy movie: “The years passed, mankind became stupider at a frightening rate. Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly the greatest minds and resources where focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections. “
What’s this with Limbaugh? You’ve mentioned him in your last couple of postings?
You offer an alternative point of view… so do the other pundits you mentioned. SO what? Let’s have more punditry, not less.
Your message of self-reliance and not playing the victim is counter-cultural. Your message is being drowned out by the call for government to manage our health care… take the risk out of Wall Street with bale-outs… and confiscate more and more of our money through higher and higher taxation.
John – my issue with Rush are his “ditto-heads.” Those are what his followers are called meaning they don’t think for themselves, they let Rush do their thinking for them and then “ditto” his thinking. That is my point with this entire post. Too many people let the pundits and others do their thinking so they don’t have to. That is just sad.
I say things that (hopefully) inspire independent thought. I don’t want blind followers, even though it sometimes happens. I want to give an opinion and have people think about it and then decide for themselves what works for them.
As for Rush, on a personal level, I find him and his approach disgusting. You can be right wing and conservative or left wing and liberal and there is no need to resort to the mean-spiritedness that he dishes out. I love opinion, contrarianism, dissention, argument and any thing that goes against the grain. But I don’t appreciate mean-spiritedness. If Rush didn’t have that, his opinion would be fine, but he would also be out of business.
Larry… (per your comments about Rush) some would say you and your approach are disgusting and mean-spirited. On the other hand, some would say your approach is a like breath of fresh air, cutting through the garbage and telling it like it really is… in the end, hopefully getting people into a better position in life.
Look, your whole vibe (from the boots to the glasses) is part of what it takes to get people’s attention.
Just because a person agrees with someone (ditto-head) doesn’t mean they can’t or don’t think for themselves. We’re all influenced by what we see and hear. It’s better to have dozens of pundits (especially those we don’t agree with) in our midst than when I was growing up and only had a choice of Walter Cronkite, or Huntley-Brinkely for 6PM news.
You can’t possibly be in favor of government bail-outs… you didn’t even bail out your own son when he was inches away from living on the curb of the road. You didn’t bail him out or give him a loan even though the job loss wasn’t his fault. Stuff happens.
You can’t possibly be in favor of the blame game going on in Washington about who started all this (economic) mess. No matter what, at this point, we have to buck it up and deal with it. What was “responsible” for your son’s job loss? What difference would it make to know the answer? His response was to work 12 hours a day trying to find ANY kind of work.
Lastly, you can’t possibly be in favor of the government moving in a way that is intended to put a “safety-net” under each and every one of us regardless what we do. I’ll bet you a steak dinner that your sons aren’t sitting around waiting to collect a windfall inheritance from dad’s estate. I have a feeling they know that dad isn’t building a safety net for them.
You say it like it is. You’re usually not even nice about it. That’s what I like so much about you!
Hi Larry, I agree with you, but that’s not the reason I’m writing. I think you may have used a word incorrectly. You say “tow the political line” in you article, but I believe it should be “toe the political line” instead. I’m not trying to put you down or anything, I just wanted to offer a correction on a popular phrase.
OK, now that that’s out of the way, I want you to know that I have read three of your books and they have helped me immensely!! Thanks for doing what you do!
Darren
But Larry, thinking is *hard*!!!!
I have discovered in the past few years that I frequently make people uncomfortable when I talk with them. You see, when I have a conversation with someone and discover that they have a different opinion or different point of view from me, I have a tendency to ask that person how they arrived at that opinion or point of view. More often than not the other person instantly becomes defensive and says that it’s just what they think. Rarely can someone tell me *why* they think that way or what helped them form that opinion. Apparently when these people were born their opinions were already in their brains and they just can’t handle questions about it.
Personally, I don’t care so much *what* someone thinks as much as I care that they actually *do* think and, ideally, that they think for themselves. Folks who think for themselves are rarely upset or threatened by discourse with someone who may or may not actually agree with them. They’re also a heck of a lot more fun to talk with.
Darren, you are correct. It’s toe. My editor usually catches those things when I write a book – but not a blog. I make lots of mistakes! Thanks for catching this one. It has been corrected.
John, I appreciate your position. And you are correct in many of your assessments of my stance on bailouts, etc. But you and I are never going to agree on Rush. However, my stance on our economic situation or politics has nothing to do with whether I agree with Rush’s tactics. And there isn’t time or space or interest from others to argue the point. All the best.
Larry
In my humble opinion -The gold nuggett from all of this is:
Have the drive and passion to do right by yourself first and then others. Own your mistakes and push harder next time to avoid the same mistakes you’ve made. Then when you get good at that – help others avoid the same. Somewhere in between doing that – you will make money, raise your family well and die a good person.
Keep it as simple as you can. It all starts with Attitude.
P.S. If you’re waiting around for someone or anything(i.e…Government) else to do it for you – you will llive your life very disappointed – thus becoming a victim to your surroundings. Move in the opposite direction of resistence, unless it’s a battle worth fighting to get what you want. Then full steam ahead.
Ron,
I think its great that Larry has an audience and a group of people that will listen. However, “he who has an ear to hear, let him hear.” Some people are, and will be, unwilling to listen. As a result, there are some constants in our society. There are definitely people I’ve met and work with who have worked hard and made smart choices and taken responsibility. As a result, they are successful. On the other hand, there are people just walking around, looking around, believing that fate will guide their destiny.
How do you sell taking responsibility to people who live in a society that doesn’t value it? The generation of the ’40’s payed cash for everything and didn’t buy anything on credit. Now people live beyond their means with credit.
I totally see your point, and I wish taking responsibility was a popular idea. I guess my point is, not all of us have national recognition like Larry does, and as a result, we can only influence what is within our sphere. If we widen our sphere, different story. Maybe if more influential people got the idea popularized, then maybe it would catch on (as it seems we want it to, otherwise, we wouldn’t really be listening to Larry would we? 🙂 ).
Isn’t it odd that we talk about “taking personal responsibility” as if it’s some new idea? Have we lost our way or what??
So, let’s not make things worse by voting for a Washington political class that is intent on “taking care of us from cradle to grave.” There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Culture does matter. Remember, whatever mess is created (in this country) will have to be cleaned up by those of us who have been acting responsibly… bailing out mortgage companies, industries, etc. It all comes out of the pockets of people who have $$ to take.
Actually, Larry… the reason I do both watch and believe Rachel is that I know this highly educated woman (Rhodes Scholar, doctorate in political science from Oxford) has the integrity to fully research everything she says on her show–and to voluntarily speak up, correct the record and apologize if she by chance does say something that turns out to be false. She is also just as likely to criticize Democrats as Republicans. If you can name one person on Faux News with those attributes (“likely to criticize Democrats” doesn’t count… HA), you can put Rachel in the same sentence as them.
Other than that, sorry, but those of us on the left side of the aisle tend to watch, listen to and read EVERYTHING. We don’t have a “party line,” we don’t blindly follow ANYONE, we criticize our own when it’s warranted, and if we hear an outrageous story about our “foes,” we’ll check it out before we believe it OR spread it around. If one sneaks through (like really convincing satire or something) and we find out that a story is untrue, we will accept that and move on… we won’t just keep repeating it for decades because we’d LIKE it to be true.
And we expect the same from this president as we demanded of the last one, and if we don’t get it, we’ll protest his a$$ too. Can you really say that about the other side?
Larry,
Yeah, you’re awesome.
You tell it like it is. People DO need to take respsonsibility for their own behavior.
But I’m confused. You keep talking about The Bible and ‘God’. Yet none of that has ever been proven. What gives?
Are you relying on ‘God’ as the the ultimite security blanket? Are you afraid of life without an ‘Ultimite Being’? I don’t get it.
Yeah, people SHOULD be themselves and take responsibility. But a supernatural, invisible all powerful entity? Unlikely.
Rich
To rhutting (Rich) – I am certainly not relying on God as a security blanket though some people do. I believe in self-reliance. But I leave people’s spiritual beliefs to them and I keep mine to myself. I am not defending God or the Bible nor I do I put any one down who believes it to be true on whatever level they choose. Everyone has to decide that for themselves. Besides, I have covered most of my beliefs on the subject in my books. I do like some of the verses in the Bible regardless of their origin or whether they are “inspired.” I think there are some great truths that are universal and are very quotable; just like the one I have used in this blog.
NOT a hypocritical Christian
Every person on this planet whether you believe in a religion or not should take responsibility for their own actions, financial and otherwise. Believers and non-believers cannot rely on a higher being (God) to miraculously cure them of bad debts, inefficient behavior, or reverse previous bad financial decisions. However, having faith in and STUDYING ones religion can help many to understand what their religion teaches about the stewardship of money they acquire.
I respect a persons right to believe or not believe in a religion of ones own choosing. Christian, Jewish, Muslim whatever your belief there is a point in life when one must step into the unknown and believe in the teachings of their religion based on faith.
As a man of faith, Christian faith, I can say unequivocally that the belief in God is believing through FAITH that there is a superior being, God, Christ and their spirit. The writings in the bible have been proven by historians, artifacts have been uncovered, and discoveries have been made providing details on events written of in the bible thereby proving these events did in fact occur.
If you choose not to believe these findings you are entitled to your opinion. Likewise those having faith believe there is a higher being; God. God empowers us by providing knowledge to us through writings in the bible, by giving us the the ability to read writings by authors such as Larry Winget, and by providing is the ability interpret this knowledge for use to live right, make good choices, and honor our commitments.
If you choose to read it, to really study it, the bible is the best instruction manual there is for the subject of money.
My 2 Centavos
I wouldn’t care if people took the easy way out if they just didn’t _whine_ so much about the consequences.
Larry,
Thanks for a thoughtful, measured response.
Sometimes we get so caught up in what we believe, or don’t believe, that we abdicate personal responsibility.
God or no God, it’s up to us to claim our behavior.
Keep up the good work.
Rich
Hello Larry (And all…)
I am a “Single Mom” who’s smartening up!
I never liked the term listed above because it tends to have a negative connotation & it is becoming heavily overused & sympathy provoking, even for people who willingly chose to end up as a one-parent household. Regardless, I WAS married and was left by my husband while pregnant. (He disappeared and still has not our daughter- she’s now 3.5)
Still, I DID choose to marry the idiot and got pregnant and putting all victimhood aside, that’s what he definitely is. (How could you not be?)
Nonetheless, You are my new personal pitbull for holding myself and my life accountable. I can tend to be on the abstract artsy side (gray area sometimes), but those times are now over. Thank God for my family military background which has probably saved me and reverted me back to black & white.
I am a firm believer in where you spend your time is what you find important- and the ONE thing I will never regret is the blood, sweat, and tears (Work) I have put into raising my daughter. Because of this, I have seen her flourish into a beautiful, respectful, and SMART human being so far.
Now I am onto the other things I have been neglecting- with the same tenancity I used in being a great parent.
No more wallowing- I have big plans for me and her!
I don’t want sympathy because I’m a “Single Mom.”
After all, you might as well seek out sympathy in the dictionary between s**t and syphilis. Sorry, an ol’ Colonel family favorite!
Thanks a lot, too! You are, in my opinion, a breath of fresh air in a polluted world.
Best, Julie
A vote for obama is a vote against personal responsiblity. Everything he does is based on people getting off the hook for their bad decisions and the rest pick up the bill. The people in this country for the most part do not deserve the great country they have. The people who pay their bills, bought a house they could afford, and got a job with healthcare (from improving themselves) have been shown that they are wrong. They could have done the opposite and let obama pass the tab onto the taxpayer.
Larry – Thank you for being a sane voice in an insane world. Yes, what has happened to morals, accountability, and personal responsiblilty? It’s amazing to me how Americans have gone from hard-working industrious people, to whining self-indulgent *%&$heads in a little over a generation.
Worse, the U.S. is exporting it’s idiotic culture overseas, giving the world an even less favorable impression of us. Sigh……., but the best thing you and I can do is present a favorable impression and set the best example we possible know how through our character and actions. In that respect NO ONE controls our behavior and our choices!
So stand up and do what’s right people! Be that voice, and remember sometimes doing what’s right means you’ll be all alone, but I don’t think any of us are ever alone. (You all can read into that whatever you want LOL!)
Larry- I hope you read this as I picked your “5 Books that changed my life blog from July ’07 to go through. I thought you might like Earnie Larsen’s work, he was a public speaker, psychologist, and minister. Maybe you’ve heard of him maybe not. But I’d suggest checking some of his stuff out. He was associated with Hazelden in Minnesota. I think his stuff if golden. I hope you like it.
Keep fighting the good fight people!
Your books encourage people to read more. I would like to pass on a suggestion that I got from a lady at my bank, when I wanted to learn the basics about money.
Suppose you want to start researching a topic about which you know practically nothing. You don’t want to be glued to the internet for hours, and you want to find the basics before you check out full-length books.
Go the “Juvenile” section of your public library. Look in “Juvenile Biography” or “Juvenile Non-Fiction.” These books will give you a broad overview of a topic, in a reading level equal to that of many local newspapers.
From there, you will have a basic understanding of the topic, and can go on to find adult books with in-depth information.