创客小说网

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第3部分（第1页）

lly　all　his　life。　The　other　would　bee　one　of　the　richest　men　in　Hawaii。　One　died　leaving　tens　of　millions　of　dollars　to　his　family；　charities　and　his　church。　The　other　left　bills　to　be　paid。

Both　men　were　strong；　charismatic　and　influential。　Both　men　offered　me　advice；　but　they　did　not　advise　the　same　things。　Both　men　believed　strongly　in　education　but　did　not　remend　the　same　course　of　study。

If　I　had　had　only　one　dad；　I　would　have　had　to　accept　or　reject　his　advice。　Having　two　dads　advising　me　offered　me　the　choice　of　contrasting　points　of　view；　one　of　a　rich　man　and　one　of　a　poor　man。

Instead　of　simply　accepting　or　rejecting　one　or　the　other；　I　found　myself　thinking　more；　paring　and　then　choosing　for　myself。

The　problem　was；　the　rich　man　was　not　rich　yet　and　the　poor　man　not　yet　poor。　Both　were　just　starting　out　on　their　careers；　and　both　were　struggling　with　money　and　families。　But　they　had　very　different　points　of　view　about　the　subject　of　money。

For　example；　one　dad　would　say；　〃The　love　of　money　is　the　root　of　all　evil。〃　The　other；　〃The　lack　of　money　is　the　root　of　all　evil。〃

As　a　young　boy；　having　two　strong　fathers　both　influencing　me　was　difficult。　I　wanted　to　be　a　good　son　and　listen；　but　the　two　fathers　did　not　say　the　same　things。　The　contrast　in　their　points　of　view；　particularly　where　money　was　concerned；　was　so　extreme　that　I　grew　curious　and　intrigued。　I　began　to　start　thinking　for　long　periods　of　time　about　what　each　was　saying。

Much　of　my　private　time　was　spent　reflecting；　asking　myself　questions　such　as；　〃Why　does　he　say　that？〃　and　then　asking　the　same　question　of　the　other　dads　statement。　It　would　have　been　much　easier　to　simply　say；　〃Yeah；　hes　right。　I　agree　with　that。〃　Or　to　simply　reject　the　point　of　view　by　saying；　〃The　old　man　doesnt　know　what　hes　talking　about。〃　Instead；　having　two　dads　whom　I　loved　forced　me　to　think　and　ultimately　choose　a　way　of　thinking　for　myself。　As　a　process；　choosing　for　myself　turned　out　to　be　much　more　valuable　in　the　long　run；　rather　than　simply　accepting　or　rejecting　a　single　point　of　view。

One　of　the　reasons　the　rich　get　richer；　the　poor　get　poorer；　and　the　middle　class　struggles　in　debt　is　because　the　subject　of　money　is　taught　at　home；　not　in　school。　Most　of　us　learn　about　money　from　our　parents。　So　what　can　a　poor　parent　tell　their　child　about　money？　They　simply　say　〃Stay　in　school　and　study　hard。〃　The　child　may　graduate　with　excellent　grades　but　with　a　poor　persons　financial　programming　and　mind…set。　It　was　learned　while　the　child　was　young。

Money　is　not　taught　in　schools。　Schools　focus　on　scholastic　and　professional　skills；　but　not　on　financial　skills。　This　explains　how　smart　bankers；　doctors　and　accountants　who　earned　excellent　grades　in　school　may　still　struggle　financially　all　of　their　lives。　Our　staggering　national　debt　is　due　in　large　part　to　highly　educated　politicians　and　government　officials　making　financial　decisions　with　little　or　no　training　on　the　subject　of　money。

I　often　look　ahead　to　the　new　millennium　and　wonder　what　will　happen　when　we　have　millions　of　people　who　will　need　financial　and　medical　assistance。　They　will　be　dependent　on　their　families　or　the　government　for　financial　support。　What　will　happen　when　Medicare　and　Social　Security　run　out　of　money？　How　will　a　nation　survive　if　teaching　children　about　money　continues　to　be　left　to　parents…most　of　whom　will　be；　or　already　are；　poor？

Because　I　had　two　influential　fathers；　I　learned　from　both　of　them。　I　had　to　think　about　each　dads　advice；　and　in　doing　so；　I　gained　valuable

insight　into　the　power　and　effect　of　ones　thoughts　on　ones　life。　For　example；　one　dad　had　a　habit　of　saying；　〃I　cant　afford　it。〃　The　other　dad　forbade　those　words　to　be　used。　He　insisted　I　say；　〃How　can　I　afford　it？〃　One　is　a　statement；　and　the　other　is　a　question。　One　lets　you　off　the　hook；　and　the　other　forces　you　to　think。　My　soon…to…be…rich　dad　would　explain　that　by　automatically　saying　the　words　〃I　cant　afford　it；〃　your　brain　stops　working。　By　asking　the　question　〃How　can　I　afford　it？〃　your　brain　is　put　to　work。　He　did　not　mean　buy　everything　you　wanted。　He　was　fanatical　about　exercising　your　mind；　the　most　powerful　puter　in　the　world。　〃My　brain　gets　stronger　every　day　because　I　exercise　it。　The　stronger　it　gets；　the　more　money　I　can　make。〃　He　believed　that　automatically　saying　〃I　cant　afford　it〃　was　a　sign　of　mental　laziness。

Although　both　dads　worked　hard；　I　noticed　that　one　dad　had　a　habit　of　putting　his　brain　to　sleep　when　it　came　to　money　matters；　and　the　other　had　a　habit　of　exercising　his　brain。　The　long…term　result　was　that　one　dad　grew　stronger　financially　and　the　other　grew　weaker。　It　is　not　much　different　from　a　person　who　goes　to　the　gym　to　exercise　on　a　regular　basis　versus　someone　who　sits　on　the　couch　watching　television。　Proper　physical　exercise　increases　your　chances　for　health；　and　proper　mental　exercise　increases　your　chances　for　wealth。　Laziness　decreases　both　health　and　wealth。

My　two　dads　had　opposing　attitudes　in　thought。　One　dad　thought　that　the　rich　should　pay　more　in　taxes　to　take　care　of　those　less　fortunate。　The　other　said；　〃Taxes　punish　those　who　produce　and　reward　those　who　dont　produce。〃

One　dad　remended；　〃Study　hard　so　you　can　find　a　good　pany　to　work　for。〃　The　other　remended；　〃Study　hard　so　you　can　find　a　good　pany　to　buy。〃

One　dad　said；　〃The　reason　Im　not　rich　is　because　I　have　you　kids。〃　The　other　said；　〃The　reason　I　must　be　rich　is　because　I　have　you　kids。〃

One　encouraged　talking　about　money　and　business　at　the　dinner　；table。　The　other　forbade　the　subject　of　money　to　be　discussed　over　a　meal。

One　said；　〃When　it　es　to　money；　play　it　safe；　dont　take　risks。〃　The　other　said；　〃Learn　to　manage　risk。〃

One　believed；　〃Our　home　is　our　largest　investment　and　our　greatest　asset。〃　The　other　believed；　〃My　house　is　a　liability；　and　if　your　house　is　your　largest　investment；　youre　in　trouble。〃

Both　dads　paid　their　bills　on　time；　yet　one　paid　his　bills　first　while　the　other　paid　his　bills　last。

One　dad　believed　in　a　pany　or　the　government　taking　care　of　you　and　your　needs。　He　was　always　concerned　about　pay　raises；　retirement　plans；　medical　benefits；　sick　leave；　vacation　days　and　other　perks。　He　was　impressed　with　two　of　his　uncles　who　joined　the　military　and　earned　a　retirement　and　entitlement　package　for　life　after　twenty　years　of　active　service。　He　loved　the　idea　of　medical　benefits　and　PX　privileges　the　military　provided　its　retirees。　He　also　loved　the　tenure　system　available　through　the　university。　The　idea　of　job　protection　for　life　and　job　benefits　seemed　more　important；　at　times；　than　the　job。　He　would　often　say；　〃Ive　worked　hard　for　the　government；　and　Im　entitled　to　these　benefits。〃

The　other　believed　in　total　financial　self…reliance。　He　spoke　out　against　the　〃entitlement〃　mentality　and　how　it　was　creating　weak　and　financially　needy　people。　He　was　emphatic　about　being　financially　petent。