In these times, in many countries, lenders on pledges have been persecuted.
The idea of wanting to force lenders to charge one or two or three percent interest on borrowed money is absurd.
The reality is that in these conditions the lenders disappear, causing calamities for the people.
Lenders are indispensable. The lenders solve many problems for the people. Every person in grave economic crisis looks to the lender.
The lender solves the citizens’ most difficult economic problems; if we are sick and we do not have money to go to the doctor or to buy medicines, we go to the lender.
It is fair that the lenders charge for their services . The lender lives off his business and needs to charge interest to live ; that is not a crime, it is a blessing for the needy to bring to the lender any object of his personal use, any pledge, so that on it the lender will give the needy the money he needs in a time of economic crisis.
The lender deserves the payment of interest; he has earned it very honestly, there is no reason to hinder him, to bother him, to persecute him and to force him to disappear.
Currently in many countries governments have established pawnshops, pledge banks, etc., and then, full of selfishness and commercial jealousy persecute the private lenders who benefit the people; that’s absurd. Government institutions called pawnshops, are not enough by themselves to satisfy all the needs of the people.
The pawnshops owned by the government have laws and regulations and working days and working hours; That’s all right, but it happens that many people with a serious illness or difficult problem during holidays or overtime, cannot visit the pawnshop because it is closed ; then you have to go to the private lender, this solves the problem. Why persecute them? Why? Why bother them? Why hinder them?, If the lender gains a good interest for his service he deserves it, he has solved the difficult problem of the needy.
It is therefore absurd to limit it, to require the lender to charge one or two percent ; in those conditions there are no lenders; they disappear and it will get more difficult for those in need.
We cannot deny that sometimes the lenders keep the objects when the term has expired; commonly the period to remove the objects on which the lender has lent us the money, varies in different countries and towns and places. The needy knows that he has to withdraw his object before the expiration of the term, be it three months or thirty days, etc., that is already known by the needy and if he cannot get the pawned pledge, then paying interests he can remain calm, with the assurance that his garment is very safe; so the lender gives the needy the best opportunities to solve their problems, and yet is persecuted, hindered, bothered.
When the client loses his merchandise he raises a big howl, and protests, and sues before the authorities, without wanting to recognize that he has not fulfilled the contract, and that the lender has taken him out of his problems; really people are too attached to their material things, too identified with things, and therefore never recognize the good that is done.
The lender’s contract is a contract of sale, with a sell-back agreement. The clauses of this contract, they are marvellous, but the client wants to disown them after breaking the contract.
Ungrateful clients, because of their attachment to things and their own selfishness, take the lenders to the authorities, and often even have them put in prisons. That’s how the devil pays those who serve him well.
What does it matter to us to lose a piece of clothing if we have saved the life of a loved one with the money that the lender lent us?
What do we care if we lose a suit or a ring, etc.., if with money from the lender perhaps we saved ourselves from going to jail or paid for a ticket, or solved a very serious life or death problem?
Unfortunately people do not understand any of this and just know not to comply with the clauses of the contracts and then insult the lender, or hurt him, or take him to jail, completely forgetting the supreme moment of need and the precious service he gave us when we needed it the most, that’s the ungrateful humanity.
One of the most serious evils that governments can do to the people is to limit the lenders or to persecute them, or to prohibit them.
It is necessary for lenders to unionize in all countries of the Earth. It is necessary for lenders to unite because union is strength.
It is urgent that lenders fight for their legitimate rights.
INJUSTICES
We do not want to say that the lenders are perfect.
Among them there are also sometimes injustices. Many times a poor widow pawns a sewing machine with which she earns her bread because of some very serious need, and then the lender keeps it, condemning the unhappy woman to misery; this is because the poor woman could not comply with the contract, or pay interest, in this case the lender has proceeded coldly in accordance with the clauses of the contract, making the mistake of forgetting universal charity, for which there are no regulations, nor clauses.
Lenders must finish with cruelty and always have continuity of purpose in charitableness. When the lender abandons the principle of universal charity, he falls into selfishness, and only gets people to hate and curse him. Really being cruel is the worst business.
The lender should be charitable; the cruel and ruthless lender, becomes a depraved profiteer, a villain.
The lender should add to the just clauses of the contract, the just clauses of mercy. Justice and Mercy are the two principal columns of the Temple of the Law.
INTERESTS ON MONEY
There are many lenders who live on the interest that their money produces; the lenders who lend money on interest do not do wrong in this, it is fair that they are paid their salary, that is, their interests.
It is absurd to want to force all these lenders to collect only one or two percent interest ; in these conditions there is no business for the lenders and these disappear, and with them the opportunities to solve many problems for the needy citizens.
It is fair that the lender lend his money on fair contract and with a minimum interest of ten percent, the lender needs to live and it is necessary for the needy. Pursuing or limiting or prohibiting it is absurd because banks cannot, due to the tightness and rigor of their laws and regulations, solve all the problems of citizens.
MORTGAGES
Many people mortgage their homes or land or farms in general, when need obliges them.
There are mortgage banks which are very useful for the people, but these cannot satisfy all the needs of the people.
In this case also the lenders are very useful and there is no reason to hinder their work. Governments must be more tolerant, less tyrannical and cruel.
The rulers must understand that no matter how efficient the governments are, they still can not fully satisfy all the needs of the people.
Samael Aun Weor
