Weckman: Cowards in the Face of Fate, But Insured

Dr. George Weckman

“When I was a kid I heard people say that our family was ‘insurance poor.’ That meant that we spent too much on insurance, a criticism of my parents who were apprehensive about the future., writes Dr. George Weckman, Ohio University Professor Emeritus, writes June 10 in the Athens Messenger. Weckman taught world religions in the Ohio University College of Arts & Sciences Department of Classics and World Religions.

We were lower middle class economically, so there was not much money for emergencies. Rather than face bankruptcy or dependence on distant relatives and friends, we had policies to cover health, life, and property. It paid off when my father died, giving my mother financial stability.

We were cowards in the face of fate, many would say. If you are getting along well enough why anticipate disaster? Maybe it’s a personality quirk: some of us don’t trust luck, we fear future reversals. It’s nice to be brave but not foolhardy. Shouldn’t we learn from the accidents and illnesses that afflict so many people?

Read his entire column.