As one would expect, being labled as a "loan-shark" isn't all that cracked up to be. No hired thugs, no breaking fingers, nothing of the sort. However, I'm still viewd as being the bad guy. Collections aren"t fun for anyone. What's strange about htis industry is that I can either be your savior or your worst enemy. What this experience has taught me is that, in times of despair, people will go to great lengths to get out of harms way or to survive for that matter. Sure, there are those who use this service for its intended purpose: a SHORT-TERM solution for financial distress. Then there are those who become so reliant on lenders that it's a part of life. It's almost like another tax. Fees are ridiculous. It's a trap to "roll-over" a loan. Imagine if you took out a $500 loan with a finance charge of $75. This makes your total amount due at $575. Now, you're eligible to "roll-over" your loan to your next payday and only need to pay $75. Imagine rolling over that loan for an entire year. Assuming you're paid on a bi-weekly schedule (26 times a year), it adds up to $1950 a year! That's money that you've spent just to keep a loan open. People really are reliant on these kinds of things. It's a trap~
It has also shown me how greedy people can be. It's almost animalistic how people can get. There are those who desperately try to get a loan. They beg and plead. Once they get it and they're due, they want nothing to do with you. They'll lie, cheat, avoid you, whatever they can. They come for the money but never plan to repay. By law, we can fuck this person over hardcore. On the contract, there's a LOT we could do to these people. They give up a lot of their rights when taking a loan. It's not only the customers who act selfishly, thought. The employees in the industry themselves are corrupt. Initially, we're here to help people in need. However, once that customer walks out the door, they become nothing more than a number; a statistic. I hear it everyday from my superior, "Where's the MONEY~!? I NEED the money~!!"
Just the other day, I had called a customer to remind her of her due date and she literally began to cry because she said my manager had made her feel like a lower-class citizen. She said she never wants to come to the center anymore because she's never felt so belittled in her life. Yes, it's embarrassing to have to do something like go to a payday-advance establishment. But with these finanacial times, it's hard not to. People are losing their jobs left and right and I sympathize for them. There are so many people reliant on their tax returns that it's depressing. My superiors believe that they just don't want to pay and they're lying. When they hear "I just got laid off from my job and I'm waiting for my returns," the first thought that comes to their minds are "They're lying, they just don't want to pay." We ARE going through a financial crisis. People ARE getting laid off/losing their jobs. There are things more important than paying back a loan right now. I'm sure I've screwed people out of rent money when I have to do bank runs. I'm sure I've made someone (or a few people) homeless. For that, I apologize. I'm not exactly a good samaritan but it really does pain me to know that I'm potentially responsible for ruining peoples' lives. Quite honestly, I can't be in this position anymore. I truly feel that the longer I remain in this kind of position, I'll slowly lose my humanity for my fellow man~
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On a ligher note, it seems like the season for relationships to bloom. My best friend/rival on the east coast has found himself someone he's totally head-over-heals for (I've never seen him this excited over anyone before). My comrade has earned himself the title of Arima-Delta. And I, personally, have relit a fading fire that has grown to be a blazing flame once more. Spring tis the season for a fever. And quite honestly, I don't think that I wanna cure it. I feel that this is what everyone in the world needs. If that were the case, we'd all probably be in a better place~
Cousin and Best Friend will be arriving in CO on Sunday. What does this mean? A mixture of training and stuffing our faces. This also means taking the opportunity to pick up where we left off. Guys just being guys, just hanging out for the sake of doing it. For serious, it feels like no one knows how to hang out anymore. I will be looking forward to it. Let the hanging out commence~
I've started to settle into the new apartment quite nicely. Things are coming along at a desirable rate. I'm slowly building the place as I see fit. There are a few things that I could use to spruce things up a bit (a DVD/CD storage case, some bar-stools, maybe some curtains, a new HDTV and PS3). After purchasing a TV stand, I'll be able to use my drafting table again and I can get to working on some art to hang up on my walls. Also, it gives me an opportunity to actually get back into drawing. I mean, that's what I got my degree in, right~?
I've been reviewing this magazine on how to break into the gaming/animation business and I really need my hand in on that. I've been contemplating going back to school so I can pursue this dream. It was also motivation when my DM said "I CONTROL YOUR DESTINY" during a staff meeting. No....I control my destiny. I feel I'm destined to be an animator/designer. It's what I worked hard for. It's what I spent the majority of my life for: cultivating my skills, abilities, and techniques. I am an artist. As much as I don't like the term (I prefer illustrator), I truly am an artist. It's what I was born to do. It's what I am destined to be~
I've also been thinking about my current position in life in comparison to my comrades. Honestly, I feel stuck in life. People are planning on retirement or moving out of the country to live happily ever after and here I am, still trying to get by in D-Town. I need some international contacts or something. I need a plan. I need to set higher goals. I need to take control of my life and become what I want to be. I suppose it's an accumulation of what's been happening around me and comparing my status to others. And I, being the type of person I am, refuse to be outdone. At the minimum, I refuse to be left behind~
So a message for friends, family, rivals, loved ones, and enemies alike:
"I just found more motivation in life so get ready because you will be seeing a better BRAD than you can imagine~"
Currently: strategically planning my next move~
