One thing I've noticed working in the bankruptcy and Ponzi scheme field is how it all starts. It's very rare that someone wakes up one day and says to themself, "I think I'll start a Ponzi scheme and defraud people out of millions of dollars today!" Rather, it starts with a legitimate business. Something goes wrong with that business (bad economy, a mistake, whatever; nothing illegal for sure) and instead of admitting to the investors that they will be getting a lower return on the investment, they try a little trick to cover it up. They rationalize it, saying it'll just be one time and I'll get it back, then things will go back to normal. Then another thing happens. And another. And before they know it, my group and I are doing investigations.
Satan works the same way. 2 Nephi 26:22 says that Satan "leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever." It's much easier to get out of the weak cord than the strong cord, though it usually takes a bit of humility to do so.
On a lighter note, because I mentioned the word bankruptcy, I have to post this link to the U.S. version of "The Office":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGIgf-ICHM&feature=related
P.S. If you look at the top comments (and if you've seen the episode), does anybody know this William Charles Schneider?
2 comments:
Haha, I love that Office clip! Yes I like your analogy too with the scriptures and with people committing fraud: that it's not a sudden decision, it's a gradual corruption...
Excellent observations. I remember Bernie Madoff saying he thought he would be caught long before he was. He was on a treadmill and didn't know how to get off.
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