I was born poor. I grew up with a not exactly an irresponsible father but an immature one & a strong mother who was able to survive us (me & my 3 siblings) inspite of all the hardships & difficulties before. I am not writing this just to get sympathy as I myself don’t like the feeling of “kinaawaan” or just to sell a story as I don’t have any financial gain on this blog right now. Though I may not belong to the poorest of the poor as seen on the documentary series on television, I know what it feels like to be a poor - to have nothing, to have an empty stomach, to have an empty pocket, to almost lost a shelter to live & to almost lost a chance to go to school as I would always cry to my mother before “ma, pasukan na bukas hindi pa kami naka-enroll” but eventually my mother got us enrolled on the first day of school.
But do you know what it really feels like to have nothing? Here are some examples of real life scenario - a comparison of having nothing & actually having something.
1st Scenario
What's the difference between a person who took a bath & a person who don't?"You know the feeling & the smell of course", "o di ba ang baho, at ang sama sa pakiramdam?"
1. But then you need to take a bath, let's say a person took a bath but with no soap just water, "a little refreshing but the smell is still in there, right?"
2. Let's say a person took a bath but use a laundry soap because there's no bath soap." a little refreshing & you will feel clean afterwards but there's no fragrant smell and a dry skin afterwards, right."
I know the feeling because I once experienced it. "tumira kami sa tabing riles at pinapaliguan kami araw araw gamit ang sabong panlaba,kaya balat kalabaw po ako, hahah."
3. Then let's say a person took a bath with bath soap & shampoo. "the feeling so great you will feel refresh, clean & fragrant afterwards".
4. Let's say a person took a bath with bath soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash & facial scrub. "that's a luxury for me already but for middle rich ones they are just necessities right?"
5. And finally, taking a bath on a Jacuzzi with moisturizers, rose petals & fragrant oils in it. "well that's for the super rich ones."
2nd Scenario
Do you know what it feels like to have an empty stomach,to actually have nothing to eat ?I can only speak for myself & the good thing during my younger years is that my mother does not let us out in the streets but there were times when we wake up in the morning without nothing to eat & my mother will find a way for it.
Given this scenario - "We woke up & feel hungry but we have nothing to eat & for hours we wait for our mother to come & when she finally arrived she only got rice."
1. So we need to eat that rice, just the rice (nothing else) because we need to ease our hunger.
2. Then another day, our mother brought a rice again still "no ulam."
We need to eat that rice again but there's bonus- "a little sugar or salt /little toyo or mantika added so it may taste like adobo, o di ba mas may lasa."
3.Then another day we need to eat that rice again but my mother gave me 1 peso. So I bought mangga & bagoong plus talbos ng kamote from the backyard placed above the sinaing, ang sarap di ba, Oh, I love mangga & bagoong plus talbos ng kamote with kamatis.
4. Then another day my mother has some earnings when she arrived -so she cooked ginataang laing, sinigang na buto buto ng baboy, pritong galunggong with mangga at bagoong with ginataang halo halo for meryenda... " it feels like fiesta for me already but for the middle rich it's just ordinary, right?"
5. And today there's a lot of food chains & restaurants, on the mall where the middle rich people eat & those fancy & high end restaurants in hotels for the super rich ones.
But what's my point here? Poverty is not a good topic in this world of financial blogs as I do not encourage it. But I have been an observant as to what's been happening in our society & I have observed one thing the rich ones are getting richer because they keep on earning, saving & investing while poor ones keeps on spending all their earnings.
As I once read in Daily Bread ,
" I asked for riches that I might be happy,
but I was given poverty that I might be wise."
The poor ones didn't recognize what God had given us.
The lessons those experiences taught us because we know how it feels to have nothing.
Yes, we we're born poor but if we were born rich, would we know the difference?
Would I actually know the advantage of having a laundry soap than nothing while taking a bath.
Would I appreciate the importance of rice even with just a little taste on it than to have nothing on my stomach, right?
So if you were born poor then be wise because that's what God is actually teaching us.
Yes we need to spend to help our economy but then let the rich people spend their money while the poor people spend wisely.
If you're a minimum wage earner like me, challenge yourselves. Spend wisely, spend on things that are needed & not on things that you just wanted. Save because we know how it feels to have nothing. Invest because we need to prepare ourselves for a better future.
Just imagine how great our country will be, if those 18 million poor Filipinos change their mindsets & becomes rich in the future :)
Philippines maybe a third world country & I believe our country will rise up.
There's a reason why God chooses us to be born here in the Philippines because even if at times we have nothing we still believe that there's God who loves us & will never leave us no matter what.
Just sharing some thoughts today.
Have a blessed weekend!!!
Ps. The above scenario are my actual experience from 1st to 4th .
