"The poor you will always have; but Me you will not always have" (Matt 26:11)
This morning I listened to a fascinating Ted-Talk by Rutger Bregman on Poverty. Mr Bergman suggests that a Universal Basic Income (covering essential needs: food, shelter & education) is the answer to ending poverty. Quoting Margret Thatcher: "Poverty is a personality defect". The underlying assumption is that there is something wrong with "them" - the poor. Turns out there is a connection between IQ and poverty. When life is focused on just trying to get by, people make poorer choices. They tend to smoke more, eat badly, don't exercise, drink too much and have more violent tendencies. Poverty is a tremendous waste of resources, both financial and human! What would life be like if people had no fear of economic insecurity? Giving poor folk what we think we need they need, and what they actually need are two very different things.
I found myself reflecting on the Bible Scripture above; "the poor you will always have ..." and wondering:- Indeed the poor we will always have IF we do nothing about it. What IF we could do something about it? What if choices we make and actions we take can make a difference?
In my own life I did not grow up rich. I never had a trust fund or silverspoon. We had all our needs met and a few of our wants too. I would say we grew up on the bottom end of middle-class. I had no education in finances or even simple budgeting. I took control of my financial destiny in late 1991 on the day I started saving for retirement. Yes I trust in God - I have faith! However I also remember to eat. Divine Providence hand in hand with human prudence. Divine Providence is just that; it is the Divine always providing. We have remarkable resources available to us. This world and everything created within it, is nothing short of miraculous. The very fact that you are reading this means you are on some incredible piece of electronic hardware. The other component is human prudence. God I believe gave us great minds. Minds to be used for good or ill; useful enterprises or for harm. It all comes down to choice. Growing wealth through investing is not God's job. I believe He placed that responsibility squarely on our shoulders. With this thought in mind perhaps give this little tale about "talents" another read. I have come to believe that I am (and we are) responsible for our financial destiny. That financial freedom is not just about hitting your Fi Number and retiring to do nothing but sit on some beach somewhere, sipping some fancy named alcoholic drinks with a tiny umbrella shading it. Financial freedom is about making a difference in this world; making this planet just a little bit better because you (and I) were here. What is your dream? Taking a few actionable steps, Financial Freedom is not only a Possibility, it is a Probability. Today I Choose Fi.... what do you choose?
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