Most people think money is pretty important. In fact, somebody said that money is like a sixth sense, without which we cannot make full use of the other five.
Which is one way of looking at it.
Another way that I've sometimes heard is this: I have an insurance policy, and the exclusionary period has run. If I kill myself today, my family can eat tomorrow.
Now, I don't hear that, or it's variations, with great frequency. But I hear folks nibbling around the edges of that analysis every now and then, and it always makes me sad.
Because money, when had, is spent quickly. I've read that folks who win large lump sums gambling are usually dead broke one year later.
I don't know if that applies to insurance proceeds, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Generally, when I hear people talking about sacrificing their lives to cash in for their families, it's guys who always made a good living and have never been out of work before.
And I routinely tell 'em to get medical help, counseling from a qualified professional (which I'm not), and I also tell 'em that my friends who have committed suicide have in every case regretted it.
Confuses them some, and they sometimes laugh thereafter, when they figure it out.
It's also true that there are still jobs to be had, and that it's possible to start over, even if this is a depression.
And a family needs a dad more than it needs a paycheck; but if you work 40 hours every week looking for a job every single way you can possibly look for a job, you should be able to find a lousy job at minimum wage. And that'll provide beanie-weanie money while you're looking for a better job.
On a slightly different note, I've read that Vitamin D and fish oil are both somewhat useful in reducing depression. But that's a topic for another blog.
Which is one way of looking at it.
Another way that I've sometimes heard is this: I have an insurance policy, and the exclusionary period has run. If I kill myself today, my family can eat tomorrow.
Now, I don't hear that, or it's variations, with great frequency. But I hear folks nibbling around the edges of that analysis every now and then, and it always makes me sad.
Because money, when had, is spent quickly. I've read that folks who win large lump sums gambling are usually dead broke one year later.
I don't know if that applies to insurance proceeds, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Generally, when I hear people talking about sacrificing their lives to cash in for their families, it's guys who always made a good living and have never been out of work before.
And I routinely tell 'em to get medical help, counseling from a qualified professional (which I'm not), and I also tell 'em that my friends who have committed suicide have in every case regretted it.
Confuses them some, and they sometimes laugh thereafter, when they figure it out.
It's also true that there are still jobs to be had, and that it's possible to start over, even if this is a depression.
And a family needs a dad more than it needs a paycheck; but if you work 40 hours every week looking for a job every single way you can possibly look for a job, you should be able to find a lousy job at minimum wage. And that'll provide beanie-weanie money while you're looking for a better job.
On a slightly different note, I've read that Vitamin D and fish oil are both somewhat useful in reducing depression. But that's a topic for another blog.
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