The trash can is a monster; credit cards are scary, too
My wife and I recently discovered that our 9-month old son gets particularly scared about our outdoor trash containers. This, from a child that seems very anxiety-free and is very friendly to the water, big dogs, most strangers, and other things that may frighten some kids (and so it appears he has his mom’s genes and not his dad’s, in this regard).
However, the other day the three of us had just arrived back at the house from a family run around the neighborhood with my son still strapped in the jogging stroller. We “parked” the stroller for a minute while I rolled in the trash and recycling bin from the curb into our fenced backyard. That process scared him to death, and evoked a crying fit. We realized, comparing this scene a similar incident I had witnessed with our son before, that it was not the sound of the garbage can or its appearance that scared him, but rather he was scared because it appeared the trash can was doing something to his daddy — after all, I was “attached” at the hand to the trash can. Needless to say, my wife took him inside to calm him down while I finished.
Just as it was confusing to my son to determine whether I controlled the trash can or whether it controlled me, the same confusion and deception can arise with credit cards. Most people view credit cards as something for them to manipulate and shift around and use as they please, and yet many people have made monstrous decisions and created huge financial disasters for themselves and their families with the plastic credit attached to their pocket day after day.
But maybe, like my son viewed the trash cans, the credit cards themselves are the real monster! Because for many people, the credit cards ultimately take control of THEM, fueling spurious financial/material wishes by enabling the person “attached” to the credit card to purchase things they can’t pay for, thereby creating a trail of “blood” behind them.
Truly, no rectangular piece of plastic is inherently evil. But one must be careful that they control their credit cards, and not the other way around. If you are not sure whether you can control your access to credit cards or credit lines, they do away with them. Just as an alcoholic should probably stay away from alcohol and a pyromaniac away from fire, you may be someone best advised to steer clear of credit.
And… watch out next time you take out the trash!
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