Radhanath Swami Speaking on Power of Credit Cards

Credit cards, which are in one sense just little pieces of plastic, have the power of thousands of dollars. We can get loans, we can buy things; all we have to do is just show this card. In the western world, this is one of the greatest miseries of the society. Because when we have these little pieces of plastic credit cards, we get so infatuated with the sense of power and wealth. ‘I can buy anything. I can do anything. I can travel anywhere.’ And the problem is we do it. But then a month later the bill comes. We can’t pay the bill with that piece of plastic. Then we have to go out to struggle and work. Sometimes I have seen people doing two or three jobs just to pay the debts that they incurred from their credit cards. I know of one person, who incurred such a debt ten years ago. For the past ten years, this poor soul has been working as a slave to pay back the debt and to this day he is not even close to it.

This little piece of plastic credit card hardly weighs a few grams. But when we start using it, the result is massive Himalayan mountains of burden of debt and anxiety that crushes our life.

Power brings responsibility. The greater the power in hand, the greater is the responsibility. Understand the power of this small plastic card and act responsibly instead of getting carried away by this manmade illusion.

By Radhanath Swami

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