"Take Two!" - It Takes Two, Strings Strongly Attached - Debts and Debtors, Part 2 

The Pusher and Puller: Growing up in the 60's and 70's we were forewarned on a frequent and dramatic basis of the various dangers lurking in the shadows, luring us in. The caveats, warnings were issued, of course, from our parents and then other surrogates, such as through films shown to us in our health class by our teachers, in an attempt to provide a layer of insulation from the dangers swirling around, short of crimping our style, inhibiting us from more healthy risk taking. Phrases that came to resonate in our heads (the desired effect), regarding those who would prey upon our psychological proclivities, feast on our vulnerabilities, and in the most extreme cases, our insatiable appetites, included the more obvious, still part of our contemporary lexicon "Be leery of those offering something for free" but also, back in our adolescence, "The Pusher!" Someone who happily offers you a free sample, posing as a friendly fellow, hanging around the playground after school hours, who may end up owning your soul, after a gradual, barely noticeable at first, addiction to whatever drug du jour. These warnings came to us through commercials and film clips depicting addicts and bad trips, and proved highly effective...at least for the short term, reflected in part by our preoccupation, while enjoying recreational activities on the playground, in the park after school hours, simultaneously trying to identify who, on the adjacent street corner might just be "The Pusher Man" (see Steppenwolf , 1968, song lyrics I suggest to all current teens I see who are exposing themselves to such risk, in an attempt on their behalf of developing an anti-drug/anti-pusher ATTITUDE!).

Slippery Slope, (You) Good Dope! Regarding things we initially found repugnant ("Yuck, it smells like skunk!"), slowly developed a taste for, and eventually even an insatiable appetite ("Dude, really good junk!") In addition to "Try it, it's free" we have become leery of "No strings attached" -- can you think of a more disingenuous phrase? As we progressed through our teens, after our innocence was rudely pierced, we became cautious, vigilant, but hopefully not to the point of paralysis. We became more proficient, that is, in identifying and then dissociating ourselves from the 'usual suspects', the obvious, those that lurked in the shadows, that once in the light were exposed to who they were and their ill intent for us. 

Seen and Unseen - They, Them... Unfortunately, on behalf of today's teens, not only have the so-called wolves adapted ('pivoted' in today's lingo) and learned to disguise themselves in sheep's clothing (see "Wolf of Wall Street", 2013 for such a depiction), but they have also followed the rest of us into adulthood, via forms we were not earlier warned of that if we follow the slippery slope, we will end up 'caveat empty'. These have even come to include those who ostensibly are there to lead, set an example of (fiscal) restraint. For we have learned that we have to now look beyond the street corner, and now peer into some of the more stellar financial institutions, and finally for most of us 'watchers', most of whom are geographically positioned thusly, "look east", to Washington, D.C. -- "This bill has no strings attached...we are looking out for your welfare (which could end with all of US on Welfare, if we don't show more restraint)...it won't add to the deficit...just pass it and we'll find out a way to pay for it later..." And pay for it THEY will (the THEY of tomorrow, that is)!! Those 30 and above will/should readily recall the 2008 financial debacle that severely affected hundreds of thousands of households, in no small measure due to financial institutions, with government nudging and even fiscal backing, encouraged many a young couple "You qualify for -------$ mortgage, you can afford..." -- the lure of easy credit, a BIG payout that did not have to be paid off for ----- years. Which was, of course, followed by many of these financial institutions foreclosing on these homes, as well as a sizeable percentage of these same families filing for bankruptcy (the terms of which also, themselves, became seductive), while many others simply left the keys on the counter. Apparently a lifelong process, one we have become accustomed to, active to unintentional partners in. We freely blame others, from the closest street corners, east to D.C. and then across the seas. While the one we have the most control over, of course, is standing right in front of us, the 'man in the mirror'...

Coming of Age, in Harmony: After reviewing the strongest worded phrases of Steppenwolf, the gratuitous everything in "Wolf of Wall Street", and the reminder of who we should  focus on first and foremost in Michael Jackson's 2008 "Man in the Mirror" that we all consumed based on the albums sold, I have to also include here, on the lighter side, my admission that I found Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" lyrics and tune highly annoying initially, but now find myself humming and singing along...slippery slope indeed. Acquiring debt, in some cases. 

Next - Part 3/3: The Final Analysis, Life's Ledger