Big Pockets, Small Minds

You would think that with the way people run away from poverty, there’d be a massive abyss between them and the poor thing.  You’d imagine that the race towards fast money and cars would give them a huge head start and they would never have to look anything like poverty. You’d think poverty (because it is poverty and it has no food or clothing or drink) would be too weak to have any influence on paper-chasers.

But hell no.

Poverty commands the poor to keep hustling, just as money may make the rich stay hustling.

Poverty commands the poor to dress in rags, just as money may intoxicate the rich to be so overwhelmed with clothing choices that they wear patches of rags which are in reality, way cheaper than the price tag paper.

Poverty commands the poor to see no other way to survive but to steal; just as money may deceive the rich to believe that there is no other way to thrive but to steal.

Poverty may keep a man up at night thinking and thinking; just as money cushions the buttocks of the rich and says ‘sit up all night and think of how to make more of me’

Poverty tells a poor man that more money will save him from his pain; just as money tells the rich that more money will save him from his pain.

Poverty makes a poor man selfish; just as money threatens to deplete itself if the rich gives it away.

And this is funny, but poverty deceives a poor man to be proud; just as money amazingly deceives a rich man to be proud.

It goes on and on. And it eventually becomes a terrible thing when in hindsight, a rich man looks back on his life and sees that he has been mirroring the poor man all along when all he wanted to be was… not poor.

But it’s simple, really. Money is meant to chase after you and not the other way round. Because money likes attention, it likes to attach itself with people who are doing great stuff.

So, whatever you’re doing, make sure it’s great stuff. Business, charity, teaching, public service, writing, arts, music etc etc. Money is not the goal; it’s just something we may use to get to the goal. What is the goal of your life? Restructure your life and pen down what the end game of your life would be. What is it you want to be? What will you do to be what you penned down?

Your life is too big for its whole purpose to be ‘To Make Money’.

Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean you should be careless with money or be a financial illiterate. It also does not mean money is not good. Heck, money is very good.

It simply means that you mustn’t let money school you when you’re supposed to school it.