The more dark clouds you have constantly over your head, the less simple your life is. Debt is one of those scary ones that can keep you up at night or force you into settling for less than you want just for the sake of safety.
The sooner you become debt-free, the sooner you get to enjoy your life. From a financial perspective, paying off debts should become your priority.
Put in the extra hours at work with a specific purpose of cutting away of what you owe. Everyone's situation is different but the fundamentals are universal.
The first step to get out of yourself of this debt hole is to stop digging. Then, begin building up that staircase so you can get back to the surface.
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Whenever one is in owing another person, it always brings the spirit of slavery to the debtors and the person won't be able to move freely.. As you've also said, I also support your thought that the best thing is that the debtor should struggle hard to pay off his/her debt