Amid recent news reports that there continues to be an ongoing and substantial gap between the net worth of Whites and other racial groups, it is easy to be distracted and overwhelmed by the raw data.
However, I am immediately reminded of a quote offered by an economic expert from the past… “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics!”
Despite the real fact that the same set of stats can be skewed to represent almost any point of view (consider elected officials, talk show hosts, those who steal in the name of God, et al), knowing this does not prevent many of us from being swayed in our thinking – and actions – by the masters of sophistry.
The ability of an individual to look at twin newborn gorillas and deem one a cover girl (cover gorilla?) and the other a repulsively ugly thing is indeed a most interesting truism concerning human behavior.
This tendency, better known as hypocrisy, is possibly the most pivotal factor leading to interpersonal, and sadly, inter-racial strife. As a student of history I always attempt to place things in historical perspective.
In the book, “The Richest Man In Babylon”, the author provides economic advice that would enable any person of any color or ethnicity to acquire, maintain and indeed increase wealth by following a few time-proven principles. Bill Bennett provided similar advice with his three core admonitions… “…Graduate from high school, avoid out of wedlock childbirth and live within your means.”
The most interesting thing about the advice given by these two authors, widely separated by time and culture, is the universal applicability of these basic economic principles to all individuals; in all times and all places with few exceptions.
So the bottom line becomes not what someone has done to you, but how you respond to it. Question. To the countless people who have lost jobs, homes, hopes, insurance, dreams, 401Ks, the ability to send kids to college, their dignity, and in some cases their very lives, does it matter who or what caused or created the conditions for their current situation?
Faced with foreclosure, mounting credit card debt, other financial obligations of all kinds, do you seek to place blame for your situation on someone or something that caused it all?
For sure it’s prudent to understand the factors that created this now pandemic pecuniary pain. And candidates for blame are many and varied. There’s the Federal Reserve, the sub-prime loans, the credit default swaps, the Wall Street greed-mongers, the naked(?) credit default swaps, the people buying houses they could not afford, the lenders who sold them the houses, self-serving politicians and the lobbyists who pimp them, the Anti-Christ and countless others who can be singled out for scorn.
Certainly there’s more than enough blame to go around.
Another question. Would it help those who are jobless and possibly hopeless to know who to blame and also be able to inflict the deserved punishment upon them? Put another way, does the fact that Bernie Madoff is in prison materially help those whose fortunes and futures he stole?
I fully agree that it is paramount to expose the Bernie Madoffs of the world and erect legal barriers to the future efforts of those with similar agendas. And believe it, there will be plenty more.
The answers to the two above questions are yes and no. For those living with fear and despair due to job loss, yes it is indeed important to understand how their current situation arose and to take action to prevent it in the future. But it is no real solace that big-time CEOs get derided in the press for their golden parachutes. And “Behind Bars Bernie” still hasn’t accounted for tens of billions in lucre with which he “Made-off” that will cause multi-generational financial woes.
There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that a murderer is behind bars or (preferably) pushing up daisies, but it doesn’t bring his or her victim(s) back to life. Survivors must live with that fact.
At this point I’m reminded of another old saying provided by an obviously observant individual, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
If you’re one of the many suffering financial displacement and possibly feeling desperate and hopeless please take a minute and watch this short video. I triple-dog challenge you to do so with dry eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MslbhDZoniY&feature=player_embedded
There’s not too much to add to the message of that video. I’m minus a kidney as a cancer survivor. (Read my Stage -4 story at: http://whosafraidofcancer.blogspot.com/)
But I much prefer that to being armless and legless. I’d rather be a person of any color or race and in any financial condition than be totally limbless.
And whether you’re Black, White, Asian, Hispanic or Native American, being jobless and hopeless feels the same. But the beauty of it all is that just like we all can suffer individually or en masse, we can all also prosper the same.
Trust me; despite the mind-boggling amount of money that’s being created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve, and the relatively few well enough-connected people who will grow wealthy and wealthier when it’s doled out, there is no government bail-out for you and me.
If you desire to change your current financial situation and establish a solid wall of protection against the global market forces that simultaneously render millions jobless and a relative few wealthy beyond imagination, then you must take action.
If a man with no limbs can become a worldwide inspiration for those with two arms and two legs, surely you and I can ride the coattails of a man like Lee Green, founder of the National Black Business Trade Association, the Black Business Space social network and creator of the Black Business Builders Club.
I compare this opportunity to reading a book. The author has done all the hard work of researching, writing and having it edited and published. How hard is it for me to just pick it up and read it?
If you’re one who desires to prosper, I invite you to look at an excellent way to do so. But there is one irrevocable requirement. You must be a member of a particular racial group. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
Over a more than 30 year period Lee Green has learned how to fine-tune his online marketing techniques and has developed, after paying his dues to become an expert, what is in my opinion the most comprehensive program for taking the willing of any skill level and leading them to economic freedom.
Mr. Green’s techniques, presented in his newly released “The Black Folks Guide To Making Big Money On The Internet”, provide the opportunity to finally experience the “Holy Grail” that all home-based entrepreneurs seek – RESIDUAL INCOME!
Finally someone has created a program that actually provides the real training and resources needed for anyone willing to work a little to experience the success that many desire but never achieve. When you compare what you get to what the monthly membership costs, you will realize that almost all of the other so-called opportunities have only been over-promising and under- or never delivering. Lots of out of pocket with little or no results.
I know it sounds somewhat clich
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