Surviving Amidst Capitalism

Forgive me if this is too simplistic, but for the last couple of days, I've come to the conclusion that, in our society, there are two things that are crucial to survival: resources and strategy.

Resources are "assets that can be drawn upon by a person or organization in order to function effectively" (thank you, dictionary widget!). Money, education, and social support are examples of resources that most of us rely on to get through life.

The ability to strategize is the ability to carefully plan in order to achieve an end of some kind. A good strategist will use his or her resources in the most efficient way possible in order to reach a goal. A good strategy requires foresight, vigilance, and a lot of effort.**

Very few people are both wealthy in resources and adept in strategy-making. Most people who are doing decently well in our society either make up for their lack of wealth with their ability to strategize, or are fortunate enough to be able to balance out their poor judgment with an excess of resources.

However, those that are not doing so well are likely in complete deprivation of resources, strategy, or both. You could find the smartest person in the world on the streets because they have no social network, no money, etc. You could give someone in need $1000 and they could completely blow it on something useless, simply because they don't have the common sense to save, or invest, or to live according to a set of priorities.

You need money to make money. But you need smarts, too. Maybe more people wouldn't be so down on their "luck" if they could just sit through a Money Management 101 course--and if those that are in the "know" about survival would be a bit more generous with their hard-earned resources.

If you're wanting to help, here's a place that's worth investing your resources in.

Christina

*As with all my "conclusions," this one might change one day.
**And often, good strategy is involved with good resources. How many of us learned strategy (how to pay for school, how to make the most of our education, how to save, invest, and spend money wisely, how to network, etc.) from more experienced individuals in our social support networks who invested tons of time and effort into us (parents, teachers, relatives, etc.)?