Okay, many people do it, but not too many like to admit it but we’re all family here so I’m just going to ask: have any of you ever played the lottery? Come on, you can be honest because this is just between you, me, and the hundreds of thousands of people who are reading this article right now. No? What about an office pool? How about a Football fantasy league? Bet on the Super Bowl? Have you ever allowed someone to borrow cash from you, and seconds after it left your hand you could feel the odds dwindling as to whether or not you would ever see your precious dollars again? Have you ever given money to a church, after an unusual financial appeal, and wondered if your offering is advancing the kingdom of God or advancing the minister to a higher tax bracket? Have you ever given money to a homeless person, and immediately thought that the “food” that they convinced you that they were going to buy was really a code word for drugs or alcohol. Do you ever wonder why credit card companies fall into a romantic, sensuous love affair with you immediately after your high school graduation? Money, money, money! A lot has been said about it: it “makes the world go round”, it’s “the root of all evil”, it “will show you who you really are” and the list goes on and on. But no matter what your personal philosophy about the “almighty dollar” is, I think that we can all agree that it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. But the real question is: how much do we really understand the concept of money?
It’s usually at this point in the article that you’re saying, “Cobaris, what does any of this have to do with the title?” Well I’m glad you asked.
I was recently interviewed on the Gripping Conversations radio show, with founder Tiffanie Tillman. The topic was: “Generation Y says “I have a NEW Dream: I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad!” which is based on the popular song by the music artist Travie Mccoy and how it applies to the ideals of today’s youth when it comes to finances and goal setting. There were many interesting theories about why our young people have such an “I can get it-but I don’t need to earn it” mentality that came up during the discussion, ranging from the influence of pop culture to personal histories. But one underlying theme that we all agreed on was a lack of understanding being passed from our generation to theirs.
If you think about it, it seems that the further back you go into our culture’s history, the more evidence you will find of people literally doing more with less. But with the emergence of each new generation, we have become more reliant and less resilient and there is not a more glaring trait than within our children. They have a sense of entitlement, where they feel the world owes them everything and there is something wrong with those who don’t comply with their “gimme-gimme” philosophy.
But who is at fault for why our children believe what they believe? I am, you are, the education system, the parents, the government, the entertainers, the pro-athletes, society, reality television, auto mechanics, vegetarians, veterinarians, lawyers, doctors, gang members, drug dealers, and the list goes on. We’re all at fault, so let’s stop pointing fingers at each other and help these babies.
How do we do that? First we have to understand the problem. When I really started to analyze the problem I realized that we don’t see the problem. I find it very ironic that math is a very exact science, but one of the best fundamental teaching tools for mathematical principles (money) is often the one thing that we gamble on. We buy what we want, when we want then hope that we have enough left to take care of the important things. We know exactly how much we make, but often wonder where it goes. We first have to make the important things important, and send that message loud and clear to our young people. We have to teach them that the poor and underprivileged are not to be mocked and looked down on, but helped and developed. We have to make them understand that cars, designer clothes, and expensive jewelry are tools used by some to influence them into believing in a life that is only made realistic on the backs of hardworking people that provide funds used to sponsor entertainers and the nonsense that they are planting into our kids. We have to teach them that money is not in and of itself an evil deity, as I purposely misquoted in the opening paragraph (saying that money is “the root of all evil”), but that the Bible says the “love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
Money is a tool. It represents opportunity and influence, and we have it but we’re not using our “powers” for good. Report Buyer, the online destination for business intelligence for major industry sectors, has now added a new report which forecasts that the buying power of 39 million African Americans will hit $1.1 trillion by 2012. Now I ask you my friends…..where is that money going to go?
Still not convinced that something has to be done? I offer this as a final example of the mindset that we have collectively reached as a society. In an age where people are judged by how much they make, I find it odd that when a celebrity, pro-athlete, or wealthy person in general does something deemed as lacking in integrity, that we are quick to gauge their character by how much they make, as opposed to the millions of teachers that go underpaid and under-appreciated year after year. Why not measure our educators by how much they make, and more importantly remember how important they are to our youth and our future, and do something about it? We have power. We have to use it and model its proper use for our children before it’s too late. Let’s train our young people in the ways of saving, wise spending, and proper investing. Let’s donate to the schools and non-profit organizations like the Boys & Girls Club. Let’s hold our politicians accountable for the promises that they make when they come around for our votes, but forget about us until re-election. Let’s help those who are trying to help themselves. Let’s give to our churches, and have faith in the God that we serve instead of the man who collects it. Let’s not just give our children money, but teach them how to earn it and why it is so important. What’s in your wallet? The future! Now what will you do with it? Our kids are counting on you!
With this new surge of empowerment that you’re feeling after reading this article, go out there and become who God created you to be. Nothing beats a failure but a try and can’t is a can with too much “t”. To God be the glory!
