The Debt Illusion and the Indian Belief in Freedom

The modern world is rapidly copying one lifestyle and economic pattern: look rich, live in debt, and call it progress. Nations operate on borrowed money, individuals survive on credit, and success is increasingly measured by how much one can afford to owe.

Ironically, debt-driven economies often question or criticize others for economic weakness, even while standing on structures supported by future promises. Debt has shifted from being a tool to becoming a way of life.

But this idea of prosperity is not new — and it is not universal.

Life Is Uncertain: The Indian Understanding

There has long been an Indian belief that life itself is uncertain. Time is unpredictable, circumstances change, and nothing truly belongs to us forever. Because of this understanding, people traditionally avoided debt — not out of fear, but out of clarity.

Debt was seen as a form of bondage. When life is uncertain, carrying borrowed obligations into an unknown future was considered unwise. A person in debt does not fully own their time, their choices, or their peace of mind.

To live lightly was to live freely.

Debt as Bondage — Even Beyond Life

Traditional belief went even deeper. It was said that a borrower who dies without repaying debt must take rebirth as a dog, bound to serve the lender until the obligation is fulfilled. Whether taken literally or symbolically, the message was clear: debt creates attachment, and attachment delays liberation.

Debt did not end with death — responsibility did not disappear with the body.

This belief reinforced accountability, dignity, and the idea that one should not leave unfinished burdens behind.

Debt vs Discipline

In Indian thought, wealth was respected but never worshipped. It was a means to support life, not to dominate it. Borrowing was reserved for necessity, not for lifestyle, display, or social comparison.

Discipline mattered more than expansion.
Security mattered more than status.

Debt may create the appearance of growth, but discipline creates resilience. Debt delays freedom; discipline protects it.

The Cost of Dying in Debt

Indian philosophy placed great importance on liberty — not only during life, but at the moment of death. Dying in debt was considered incomplete living, because debt binds a person to unresolved obligations and leaves behind anxiety, dependency, and burden.

Ultimate liberty — whether spiritual or practical — cannot exist in debt.

Freedom required clarity.
Clarity required independence.

Two Models, Two Outcomes

Today, much of the world is chasing borrowed confidence — living in debt to appear successful. At the same time, the Indian principle of conscious, debt-aware living is often misunderstood as outdated or conservative.

Yet history shows that civilizations and individuals built on balance outlast those built on excess.

One model survives on future promises.
The other stands on inner stability.

As debt becomes normalized, the ancient Indian belief feels increasingly relevant:

True prosperity is not about how rich you look, but about how free you remain.

Because a person cannot be truly free — in life or beyond — while living and dying in debt.