I find this a very uplifting discussion thread. Debt seems to reflect an imbalance of emotions, a lopsided giving and taking where we often owe things to ourselves. Sometimes a monetary debt makes a statement about not giving ourselves enough attention, low esteem or a lack of self-respect.
I know a person who has given selflessly (worked diligently) for a team and clients for a year, yet still accumulated a considerable financial debt. He didn't buy luxury items. The company partner/ finance officer cut his pay to about $200/wk because of supposed back bills. This said, the man with accumulating debts initially accepted this yet, was unaware of true financial state of his company. As Dharma says in his posting, its useful to listen to inner feelings when you have the repeated impulse to give back. The man in this story had to learn that his company role and efforts deserved different treatment. He had to learn to value himself differently. He had to learn to respect himself and change his behavior to investigate with due diligence.
This person has learned that giving long term without receiving is exhausting.
You could make a similar analogy with a personal relationship. Lack of reciprocity typically leads to feeling uncomfortable, like something isn't right. This is a sign that we should do something to improve our situation.
If we become indebted to ourselves, it is part of our personal journey to realize this and learn to take steps to re-establish balance.
