Fiscal Tendencies of the Poor

It would seem that the body gradually becomes accustomed to living on the fat of the land in good times and going hungry in bad times. Indeed, hunger destroys any resolution for reasonable budgeting in better times to come by holding up to the eyes of its tormented victim an eternal mirage of good living and raising this dream to such a pitch of longing that a pathological desire puts an end to all restraint as soon as wages and earnings make it at all possible. The consequence is that once the man obtains work he irresponsibly forgets all ideas of order and discipline, and begins to live luxuriously for the pleasures of the moment. This upsets even the small weekly budget, as even here any intelligent apportionment is lacking; in the beginning it suffices for five days instead of seven, later only for three, finally scarcely for one day, and in the end it is drunk up in the very first night.

Often he has a wife and children at home. Sometimes they, too, are infected by this life, especially when the man is good to them on the whole and actually loves them in his own way. Then the weekly wage is used up by the whole family in two or three days; they eat and drink as long as the money holds out and the last days they go hungry. Then the wife drags herself out into the neighborhood, borrows a little, runs up little debts at the food store, and in this way strives to get through the hard last days of the week. At noon they all sit together before their meager and sometimes empty bowls, waiting for the next payday, speaking of it, making plans, and, in their hunger, dreaming of the happiness to come.

I grew up in a poor household.  We never had much money for anything beyond the basic necessities.  If there were ever a time when there would be extra money around, instead of saving it for the future, it was squandered on pleasures of the moment; an extra large meal or a toy for myself or my brother.  Instead of working to rise above living paycheck to paycheck, our constant struggle was ensured by this way of living.

As I grew older I continued the lessons I had learned as a small boy.  Any money left over at the end of the week was meant to be enjoyed.  I worked so hard to earn it, I should have some for my own pleasure.  What I wasn’t able to realize was that I was perpetuating my financial struggle, just as had been the case during my childhood.  Instead of saving my extra few dollars to help with next months rent I was spending it on all of the things I didn’t have during my childhood; Garbage Pail Kid cards, He-Man action figures, nice clothes.

I never gave any consideration to why I spent my money in this self-defeating way until I was talking to a friend of mine who also grew up poor & did exactly the same thing as I did.  Once he had earned a paycheck, instead of saving what remained, it was off to the store to buy squirt guns, electronics & CDs, clothes; everything he never had as a child.

This effect of poverty isn’t contained only to myself or my friend.  The quote above comes from 1925 from none other than Adolf Hitler in his book Mein Kampf.  His words eloquently describe exactly the pattern & cycle of spending which I was raised in and continued into my early 20′s. 

When people speak or think of Adolf Hitler, many don’t remember him beyond the evil of his deeds.  They don’t remember the young, ambitious youth who struggled to become an artist.  Many have heard of his book, Mein Kampf, but have never taken the time to peruse its pages.  While not having read the book in its entirety, I spent some time reading it as a teenager while I struggled to understand what could cause a man to be so filled with hatred.

Even as a teenager, this quote struck me as being incredibly insightful.  I highlighted this entire passage.  At the time I knew these words meant something, they resonated within me.  I showed the highlighted words to my mom & received little comment.  Whether the silence came from the thought of her child reading Hitler or the reality I had just bestowed upon her, I am uncertain.

Having turned a financial corner in my own life, this quotation reminds me of the reality which I grew up in & am now working so hard to prevent in the future.  Wisdom comes from many places, including from some of the most evil of men.