A different perspective about credit/debt

I recently came across an idea/perspective about debt and it seemed to bring me clarity among discussion & fights online about credit instruments like credit cards etc.

Here it is:

Debt is a chainsaw tool, it is a dangerous tool. But it can be incredibly useful if used appropriately (like in cutting down trees) but can do incredible damage if it's misused.

Let me elaborate with couple of examples:

1. Credit card is dismissed as a dangerous tool by many and traditionally, people are hesitant to use it. But if you use it and pay it off in full every month, you can earn back 2-5% of your purchases, offsetting inflation partly. But if you use it as a bridge to pay for your expenses until you get paid or use it to take on debt or buying things that you cannot afford, it will damage you. Understand the tool and use it to your advantage.

2. Many people need a vehicle for their job. Lot of times people need to take debt for this. And it makes sense as you need to go to your job to earn money. Purchasing a good value for money vehicle is the choice, but instead of that many people buy what they can't afford by extending their loan tenures and spending a huge chunk of their income. Again, here debt isn't the problem, how you plan to use it makes all the difference.

I came across this idea when there was a lot of twitter chatter between influencers about good/evil of credit cards etc. In conclusion, credit is just a tool and by itself, it's neither good nor bad. Understand the tool and use it to your advantage or if the tool isn't for you, then just ignore it. Don't let tool make & control your financial decisions