This week I was talking to a friend about what kind of wealth we would like in life. Obviously, everyone who finishes a Masters' degree has a component in their life plan that calls for a well-paid job. And for good reason: those babies are expensive to get, they should get its recipient a better salary. Sarah, my friend, expressed her desire to be able to live comfortably, with enough money to sometimes afford special goodies. That being said, only full on rich people are able to do that these days. I am probably ten years of full-time hard work away from having money at the end of the month and a debt-free life! I wouldn't have gone for an education in Political Science if I was chasing dollar though. In fact, money has never been part of my life and I still had more than most people...
I was one of the poorest kids in all of my circles growing up. I had no extravagant wishes and had a job, although only a small one, from the age of 13. Yet, most of my friends' families were well better off than my family was and I never cared. I wasn't bullied because I wasn't wearing the trendiest shoes, and most of the time I tried to dress differently on purpose. I never liked to be like everyone else, and everybody else was rich. When I had saved some money I bought myself a Bratz doll as I was collecting them. I didn't buy clothes, or shoes, or cigarettes. I might be wrong but I still think I was just another kid and to the general person my lack of fancy pants or shoes was not visibly offputting. Why a 14-year-old kid needs clothes that cost more than all of my week's groceries is beyond me.
Also, I have not lived a life of a poor person. I might look crap but I feel good. I never drank while I was a teenager because the money I made on jobs and other things was too valuable to spend on a drink. Instead of spending 40 bucks on a night out I put it in my travel bank. Once I had enough money for a flight I went there, stayed with locals for free or in rancid places and ate street food. I missed expensive sights but oh well, I'm not rich. I went to Kenya without doing a safari because it would have cost me more than to get there but hey, I was in Kenya, feeding starving children, hanging out at paradise beaches for no money at all. I was staying in a tent off the beach in Dinali and walked up the beach for ten minutes and crashed the hotels. I spent nothing but I lived, I really did...
So for me earning enough to "be able to afford something" is anything exceeding the money I was given so far. As I said, we didn't have much growing up. I studied entirely on a student loan so couldn't get in spending mode while studying. I then abandoned my PhD plans because I was tired of being poor and became unemployed, thus living on the dole. You could argue that a person of my backgrond cound't be prepared any better to be poor. Meanwhile, I will most likely get richer than most people because for me wealth is what might not be too much for some kids. I won't earn very much in Egypt (or ever!) but I'll be able to buy some salad, a couple of waters a day and a sahleb at the café at night and that hasn't always been possible. Heck, if Germany hadn't provided for me for five years I would never have been able to do that...
My ambitions to become rich have never been a priority. Being dependent on the state for a few years now, having a lot of debt and increasing demands in lifestyle I sometimes wish I hadn't pursued my passion when I went to college and studied Engineering instead. I'd be miserable but I'd be rich. But then I'm thinking "Why would you be chasing the money, you have no idea what being rich is like" and how could I miss something I don't know. I am happy to be living a life in which money can't buy me anything because that kind of life hasn't let me down. Many people I know chose their education based on what kind of money comes flying in and I'm no expert in becoming happy but it sounds like that's not the right way. Maybe I'll retract this statement the next time I hit unemployment... but for now, I'm going to start collecting some cash!
No comments:
Post a Comment