was not yet poor. Both
were just starting out on their careers, and both were struggling with money
and families. But they had very different points of view about money.
For
example, one dad would say, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The
other said, “The lack of money is the root of all evil.”
As a young boy, having two strong fathers both
influencing me was difficult. I wanted to be a good son and listen, but the two
fathers did not say the same things. The contrast in their points of view,
particularly about money, was so extreme that I grew curious and intrigued. I
began to start thinking for long periods of time about what each was saying.
Much
of my private time was spent reflecting, asking myself questions such as, “Why
does he say that?” and then asking the same question of the other dad’s
statement. It would have been much easier to simply say, “Yeah, he’s right. I
agree with that.” Or to simply reject the point of view by saying, “The old man
doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Instead, having two dads whom I loved
forced me to think and ultimately choose a way of thinking for myself. As a
process, choosing for myself turned out to be much more valuable in the long
run than simply accepting or rejecting a single point of view.
One of the reasons the rich get richer, the poor get
poorer, and the middle class struggles in debt is that the subject of money is
taught at home, not in school. Most of us learn about money from our parents.
So what can poor parents tell their child about money? They simply say, “Stay
in school and study hard.” The child may graduate with excellent grades, but
with a poor person’s financial programming and mindset.
Sadly, money is not taught in schools. Schools focus
on scholastic and professional skills, but not on financial skills. This
explains how smart bankers, doctors, and accountants who earned excellent
grades may struggle financially all of their lives. Our staggering national
debt is due in large part to highly educated politicians and government
officials making financial decisions with little or no training in the subject
of money.
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