Debits & Credits # 1: How a Perfectly Balanced Picture Could Be Falsely Created

With technological advance comes various computer programs that could help make our lives easier. For example, there’s plenty of software out there for bookkeeping. But beware, just because it’s automated doesn’t mean you need to understand the fundamental accounting principles any less.

In Accounting: the debit balances must equal the credit balances. That’s why they call it “balancing the books”. In the old days, when bookkeeping was done with a pencil and a large paper ledger, when you couldn’t balance, the difference would pop up at the bottom line. The bookkeeper can’t escape the fact that there’s a problem, and must go through all the accounts with a fine tooth comb to determine what went wrong.

That’s why the work was done in pencil.

With accounting software, things got easier - and harder. As you make entries, the system forces the numbers to balance. This is achieved by demanding that you put the difference into an account – any account, as long as it makes things balance. The result is seemingly perfectly balanced books, but with all the problems hidden away. The old way, at least, tells the picture like it is.

Some small companies off-load their accounting duties to their admin assistants to save money. The software looks easy enough to learn, right? Even though the admin might not have the accounting training to see the bigger picture, the program’s ease of use gives everyone a false sense of security. Everything’s still balanced, right? Meanwhile, the poor admin might be quietly dumping numbers into the wrong accounts because he/she has no idea what to do with them.

So how does this tie to relationships? Here it is: there are many books out there teaching girls to nag, beg, and manipulate their commitment-phobic guys into proposing. A common tactic is the “play-it-cool-ultimatum” (I know, the term is an oxymoron). The guy is forced to make a call - one way or the other. It’s just like the aforementioned admin staring at the computer screen, being asked to choose an account – any account. Even if the man ends up proposing, the issues (adding resentment into the mix) are just being pushed under the rug.

So ladies, don’t bother with ultimatums. Don’t push him in any way. Don’t cry and throw a fit. If he can’t make a commitment, gently walk away. Don’t play cool, be cool. In the long run, it’s for the best. Better a broken heart now than a broken home later.