When you can spend money comfortably, it becomes harder to understand how others live. It becomes harder to relate. Everyone is for themselves, living either alone or with a small number of people. If your friends are financially okay, then you are mostly surrounded by a reality that tends to block out other realities existing around you.
You might drive by a neighborhood with financial difficulties and not realize it, or go shopping in an economically disadvantaged area, just because your money might go further there. You might also not realize that you are shopping in such an area because you have more resources.
But being financially poor doesn’t necessarily mean the person is poor in other aspects. I’ve met people who outsmart many well-educated individuals I’ve encountered, but they exist in a less affluent reality. Perhaps they are not willing to take that extra step, or they’ve simply accepted things as they are, or they haven’t yet stumbled upon their opportunity. However, time can change all that, if someone desires to.
Education plays a significant role, but I’ve observed educated people living in extreme poverty. They might possess great ideas but lack the knowledge to execute them or might give up easily or various other reasons.
I’ve also met people who spend substantial amounts of money daily, often without even realizing how much they’ve spent or considering it. Yet, one significant factor I’ve found that makes a big difference is that some people living in poverty are happier than those with vast amounts of wealth. The reason behind this is that we shape our happiness and misery in our minds. The more we have, the more we tend to create psychological issues for ourselves. When we look at the reality of those less fortunate, we understand that our troubles are largely a product of our own minds, based on the level at which we live. Our needs shift when we have money, altering our perspectives as well as others’ perceptions of us.
A wealthy person cannot fathom living on $6 a day. Even if they attempt it, they will likely choose to return to their wealth and might or may not learn valuable lessons.
When you consider the USA, you might assume that people have money and are wealthy. However, the reality is:
-The USA is generally expensive compared to other countries. More than 17% of its population lives on less than $10 per day in the world’s most potent economy.
-Brazil, a global economic leader, ranks among the top 10 countries . Around 26.5% of its population lives on less than $10 per day.
-Argentina, a country with considerable resource wealth, has 39% of its population living in extreme poverty.
-Japan, known for its strong economic, has 14.8% of its population living on less than $10 per day.
If you can spend more than 20$ of your income per day, you are probably among the fortunate ones who might also waste food and money. The more you spend, the more you might waste. If you aren’t in that category, that’s great. If you are, take a moment to reflect on it. Strive to become a better version of yourself in this world. Instead of just spending and wasting, consider helping and enjoying.
This topic is the subject of an infographic I have worked on to share with you. If you believe you are unfortunate, it’s possible that you are relatively rich when viewed from a comparative perspective.
