196 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-MASTERY
Every statute book in the world bears evidence that the fear of
poverty is one of the six basic fears of mankind, for in every such book
of laws may be found various and sundry laws intended to protect the
weak from the strong. To spend time trying to prove either that the fear
of poverty is one of man's inherited fears, or that this fear has its origin
in man's nature to cheat his fellow man, would be similar to trying to
prove that three times two are six.
COMMENTARY
From the Appendix to Lesson One: "Humans are such great offenders in this
respect that nearly every state and nation has been obliged to pass laws, scores
of laws, to protect the weak from the strong. Every code of laws ever written
provides indisputable evidence of humanity's nature to prey upon its weaker
members economically. "
In Think and Grow Rich, Hill lists six symptoms of the fear of poverty: indiffer-
ence (lack of ambition, laziness, and so forth); indecision; doubt (expressed through
alibis and excuses); worrying (expressed through fault-finding;) overcaution (shown
in general negativity); and procrastination.Obviously no one would ever fear poverty if we had any grounds for
trusting our fellow men, for there is food and shelter and raiment and
luxury of every nature sufficient for the needs of every person on earth,
and all these blessings would be enjoyed by every person except for the
swinish habit that humans have of trying to push all the other swine out
of the trough, even after everyone has all and more than needed.
The Fear of Old Age
This fear grows mainly out of two sources. First, the thought that old
age may bring with it poverty. Second, human beings have learned to fear
old age because it meant the approach of another, and a possibly much
more horrible, world than this one which is known to be bad enough.