Quote:
Originally Posted by t0bes1
Hey DNegs, welcome back. Please ignore the trolls, these forums are better for having you in them. I do want to ask you about Edog (as I'm sure many others do) but I think a new thread by yourself or opening post here on the matter or whatever down the line would be best. You've only been back a day. I guess the reason I find it so interesting is that, in general, I pretty much agree with 100% of your views ... except your stance on Erik. I'm sure your usual sound logic is there somewhere (?) but from what you've said in the past, it isn't really evident.
I have touched on the issue several times over the year, but in a nutshell, while I don't condone gambling and not paying debts, or borrowing or not paying, I've also been a part of the gambling world for over 20 years now and I've dealt first hand over the years with people who have made mistakes. Really big mistakes. Gambling can be a real addiction, much like alcohol or drugs. The decisions people make when "under the influence" aren't always indicative of the character of the person. Sometimes good people do really bad things.
As I said, I've both dealt with, and been on the side of the fence when I owed money I didn't have, so that tends to make me compassionate towards people who ruin their lives with debt. Mind you, I obviously feel compassion for the victims, as I've been a victim many times over. Having said that, I don't play victim to it. When I chose to loan someone money and they didn't pay, that's something I need to take responsibility for. When I trusted someone enough to risk gambling with them on credit and they didn't pay, I need to take responsibility for that decision as well. Does that mean I have to like getting screwed over? No. Does that mean the person who didn't pay me is justified in what they did because it was my responsibility to decide if I trust them or not? No.
I don't see any value in being a victim to it. Instead, I choose to learn from those situations and hopefully make better financial decisions in the future.
I'm not sure if that answers your question or not, but it's the honest truth about how I feel about the issue of welching.