This is an interesting story about how one man decided to put his life on the line by taking a job in a war zone in order to pay off his credit cards and student loan debt. Although the story is filled with adventures, it makes me wonder whether he thought it was worth it had he become crippled by one of the bombs or worse yet, killed due to his debt.
I don’t think anybody should risk their life for credit card or student loan debt. There are better solutions like debt negotiation. I’m sure your creditors would disagree with me. But ask yourself would a bank and/or your banker put themselves in peril for you? My educated guess would be no, they would not. You would most likely hear a retort like “this isn’t personal, it’s just business.” I know this because I’ve heard more than one banker say it to me when they justify throwing a family out on the street during the foreclosure process.
But debtors make their debt personal when it’s not. Do you think Donald Trump considers himself a personal failure because his business filed bankruptcy. On the contrary, he thinks he’s such a great businessman, he has his own TV show to flaunt it. But consumer debtors constantly beat themselves up with negative self talk, guilt and embarrassment. This just leads people down the road to worse circumstances instead of solutions. I understand your personal finances are personal to you but don’t let them define you and get in the way of making the best financial decisions for you. And please don’t put your life on the line!
https://thebillfold.com/2012/09/crushing-debt-drove-me-to-kosovo-and-then-to-iraq/