One thing we have constantly heard during Covid-19 is that we’re all in this together, and more specifically, we’re all in the same boat. In fact, the sheer number of both radio and TV commercials attempting to drive home this point has been nothing short of mind numbing.
Well, we’ve all been set in roughly the same murky waters simply based on the drastic measures taken regarding regulations at the work place and for nearly all means of recreation. However, the reasons why Americans are NOT in the same boat during Corona virus as well as before it began, and after it is eliminated, are WAY too numerous to mention. But I will offer a great number of variables which set each of our lives apart.
Let’s start with the prime money expenditure of our lives. Some people reside rent-free in a relative’s dwelling. Others pay a modest to large amount every month in renting an apartment or house. Then there are house payments, personal property and real estate taxes for small, medium, large and luxurious houses.
Within that realm, there is the living situation gamut of being totally alone, having a significant other; living with several other family members including brothers, sisters, parents, offspring of all ages and grandparents. Some people live in flood plains, tornado and hurricane havens, snow belts, high heat areas, safe neighborhoods and miniature war zones.
Our means of transportation often vary a great deal from walking and/or relying on buses, Uber, taxis and the like to get around to driving an old jalopy, a decent vehicle to very expensive and even super luxurious ones.
Then, there are great differences in work and finances based on age, educational background, choices of professions, job availability by areas, individual level of motivation, personality, attitude and both physical and mental health. Nowadays, there is also who is considered an essential vs. a non-essential worker.
The Covid CARES Act also likely affected the level of motivation of job seekers. After all, the total of some $100-$300 of state unemployment payment plus an additional $600 a week of Federal was akin to being thrown a life jacket. The total funds were far more than many employees were paid by working 40 hours. Some people saved the extra funds to help weather future potential financial storms. Others spent it on essentials, while a good number of people chose to frivolously wash it away on unneeded material items.
One popular, time-honored adage is “If you have your health, you have everything.” Well, other than a good number of people on Medicare, healthcare costs vary greatly by who you work for or if you work at all. There are also personal health choices based on specific diets, smoking, drinking, and drug usage.
How your life is today may also be greatly affected by your spending and credit habits in the past, present and plans for the future. There’s spending habits on groceries, regular store and online shopping, social life, holiday shopping, higher education choices and the incredibly different means of leisure and vacation travel.
The amount of funds in your IRAs, savings and checking accounts also may vary widely by any and all the above factors, plus any family inheritances. Some people make poor investments and business decisions, blindly placing their trust in the wrong people that lead to debt and even bankruptcies. This includes falling prey to scams. Working long hours on faulty projects is far from a guarantee of profits. That’s why there are numerous adages regarding working smart over working hard.
Receipt of government perks is yet another area where those funds can be affected. Are you always underwater financially with the need of a lifeboat or do you glide at several dozen knots well above the headwaters?
How about personal behaviors that make us different from others? How do we think about certain topics? Have you fallen prey to victim mentalities where you’re constantly blaming others for your own poor life choices? Do you use your own brain to decide on specific issues? What are our means of communication regarding individual issues? Do you always drop the anchor and stay in peaceful and tranquil waters or do you often rock the boat to the point of making huge waves?
The above also includes the gamut from total introvert to extrovert. How one was raised is another important factor, as in ‘kids learn what they live.’ However, that’s also increasingly shaped nowadays by what we are exposed to in the 24/7 media cycle.
All the
above items are factors that prove that, while we may all be in the same ocean,
truly none of us are in the exact same boat.
After all, you are generally the captain of your own life. So, can you
think of any other areas in which we differ? How else do we navigate through the waters in
what I refer to as the ripple effect of life in which our specific actions
often lead to certain predictable results?
