Ancient Times vs Modern Days

When you think of ancient slavery, we know it was a terrible period of time for humanity. It was all about the exploitation of labor, without fair treatment. Slaves were paid only in food, just enough to stay alive and keep working.

Now, let's jump to the present day. Take Gale for instance. He has a 9-5 job. He needs this job to get food for himself and his family. He lives paycheck to paycheck, he is paid just enough so that he can feed himself, so that he can keep working.

I am obviously not claiming that a 9-5 job is as bad as ancient slavery. As modern people, we might not experience physical violence to keep us working, but we are subject to a new form of psychological slavery.

Gale's Path: Deceptive Freedom

We think we are free because we are not treated as badly as ancient slaves. But we still need our jobs to survive. Our pay is just enough to enable us to keep working. This new form of physiological slavery is a sneaky mental game that tricks us into the illusion of freedom. But how do we fall for it? Well, there is a subtle trap that the system uses to keep us trapped.

Gale's Financial Journey: The Subtle Trap

Let's go back to Gale's story. As a kid, he understood that in order to buy things, one needed money first. But as he got older, this basic concept became blurred. His friends and coworkers started talking about debt. So, little by little, he started adopting the belief that debt can be useful. Debt could now help him get anything he wants.

When he got a steady 9-5 job, he could now predict the money he would make each month. So, even if he didn't have enough money today, he thought, "Next month, I'll get my paycheck. I'll put this on my credit card and future me can pay it off." At first, he thought this was smart. Eventually, he couldn't afford to pay his credit card bill every month. Over time, the debt kept stacking up.

The Downward Spiral

When Gale wanted to buy something big, like a car or a house, he believed that future Gale could handle the debt, as he still had his steady job. But this time, it wasn't the next month's Gale that would pay it off, but rather Gale from several years into the future. So now, future Gale has to work for what past Gale desired.

Gale's Lost Freedom

Then one day, Gale had a great business idea, and he was excited about starting it. But an intrusive thought blurred his excitement: "If I start a business now, I'll lose my steady paycheck. I need that money to pay off my debt." Gale was stuck, and his business idea immediately died, together with any hope of a better future. He had to keep working his 9-5, probably until the day he died, to pay off all of his debt, all to satisfy past Gale's desires.

Gale believed in debt; at first, he thought it was a good idea, then it turned into a necessary evil. By the time he realized it was all a trap, it was too late. His bank account had gone from zero to negative, and he was stuck in debt for the rest of his life.

The Story of Max: Avoiding the Trap

Now, think of Max; he is Gale's friend. Just like Gale, he had his steady paycheck in the same 9-5 job. Just like Gale, he was offered many credit cards, which he took. At first, he thought, "Future Max will pay for it". The more he did this, the more he realized that his bank balance was getting close to zero consistently. He decided to start learning about money, he was reading all sorts of books on money.

A New Path

He stopped buying things he couldn't afford. He also stopped making future Max pay for them. There was a great book that inspired him to start a business; he came up with a great idea and was passionate about it. Instead of going out drinking with his friends, he stayed home to implement his business idea. He kept his 9-5 job, but in his free time, he started working on his business.

A Leap of Faith

After a few months, he had saved enough money to take a risk on his business. He knew that he could survive for a few months without money, just so he could work on his idea. Worst case, he could go back to a 9-5 job and try again after a while of saving more money. But he had faith. He learned. He worked hard. His business started to grow over the years.

A New Beginning

A business can grow financially a lot more than a 9-5 job can. In a few years, Max's business really took off. Now he is free. He didn't use debt to get there. He is not just free to buy what he wants; he is free to live his life and make decisions that fulfill him. He is no longer trapped. He can fully provide for his whole family and spend time with them. He is not a prisoner of debt, he is a free man.

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