In the midst of gross poverty and hardship, the mere pleasure of eating whatever one likes, whenever one feels like it, may seem like a flamboyant lifestyle.
That's exactly what transpired recently between myself and a friend of mine. He was telling me of his plans to save money, when I expressed my doubt by saying he had a flamboyant lifestyle. He then asked me a question. He said, " besides the fact that I often eat what I like, what other flamboyant lifestyles do I have?
I thought about he said for a second and came to the conclusion that he was actually right. He didn't really have a flamboyant lifestyle as I had falsely accused him. Which got me thinking — then why did I say he was extravagant?
After years of experiencing harsh poverty, the line between extravagance and comfort becomes blur. You start to subconsciously feel guilty for indulging your appetite once a while. Albeit you don't have any problem giving to others, but when it comes to yourself, you're as stingy as hell!
The worst thing about poverty isn't lack of money. In fact, I dare say that's the good part. The horrible thing about poverty is that it messes up your mind. No wonder some people say you're not poor until you're poor in your mind. I've seen rich people with money who have very poor mindsets. Only through years of conscious reprogramming can one finally overcome a poor mentality.
In a society like ours where the average person lives on less than one dollar per day, you can understand why the mere fact that a person often eats what they like can be misconstrued as a flamboyant lifestyle.
While many are suffering from starvation in Nigeria and kwashiorkor of the mind; those living in America are battling with obesity. I mean those guys pay lots of cash just to grow thin! Well, no need for all those diet programs they bother themselves with; let them come to Nigeria — dem go thin by force! There's something in our atmosphere that just makes people thin. Lol...
Humor aside, many people are really suffering in our country. Which is why I often laugh when I hear some of our political leaders talk. They speak about all these gigantic plans they hope to implement when they come in-to power. But let's face it: are the problems of the average Nigerian man really that complicated? Give us food, shelter, roads, electricity — just the basic necessities. This is 2019 for God sake and we're still talking about constant power supply! Our leaders no get shame?
I know Nigerians to be one of the most industrious and innovative people in the world. Provide us with the enabling environment and watch us thrive. Why dem dey act as if say dem no know wetin we want?
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