Misconceptions about simplicity and abundance
The wealthy men in Nigeria are easy to spot from their dressings, the different cars at their disposal, or even the kind of people they mingle with. It's very easy to know who is rich and who is not. And for a few people, their footwear may be more expensive than their monthly take-home, all in the name of looking rich and probably the need to be acceptable to society. In 2017, I drove a pencil Camry (my sister-in-law's) on the streets of Lagos in 2017 (I had just freshly graduated as a doctor) , which I am unfamiliar with, at about 1 a.m. I was accosted by a set of policemen in a van, and when they saw my ID card, the police officer was visibly surprised at how a young-looking man in such simple attire was driving a car. Truth be told, I wore a polo shirt and a trouser, and you could mistake me for an undergraduate or a high school student. Two similar events have occurred when police officers have asked if I owned my Toyota Camry, especially because I wore just a round neck shirt and a knicker short. One of the police officers even asked me which school I was at. Though my stature is not big, my face and physique could tell that I have attained some degree of maturity. But then, I just love dressing light and simple. I love to drawbacks and view people's perceptions of me before introducing myself where the need arises.
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I have come to appreciate one thing in life: humility and simplicity help me learn and grow better. I have discovered many truths that are simple and probably unrecognized. Now, if Mark Zuckerberg passed beside you (if you didn't know he was Mark Zuckerberg), you would probably not give him any notice or even regard. It's his simple dressing for me. All his images on social media have the majority of them having him in very simplified dressing, making you wonder if he is actually among the rich billionaires in the world. At a young age, Mark Zuckerberg became the youngest self-catering billionaire, and yet he maintained his simplicity, letting his work speak for him.
There is a saying that "speak only when you get to the peak, and I felt the value of this statement the more. Before now, I could share my dreams and aspirations with the world; probably, if I had the wealth, I would be undisciplined to live minimally, but the outcome of my dreams and aspirations was either disappointments or the dashing of hopes. I have learned to show less of my intents or resources and only 'wow' the audience or people watching my life unfold.
ALL IMAGES ARE MINE
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.
Thank you and I wish you a beautiful week
Where I live I've found the opposite to be true. Those who drive expensive cars and wear fancy clothes tend to be those who are struggling to pay the bills. It is a running joke in some communities that many of the fanciest houses have no furniture inside because their owners are too broke to buy the furniture and are never at their home because they have to work so hard just to pay the mortgage.
I think of my uncle as a rich man. He lived in a simple one bedroom house. He worked part time as a janitor and spent the rest of his time teaching karate, painting artwork and doing simple gardening. He invested wisely and was a millionaire no-one would ever notice as such.
Certainly some rich people have fancy things but those who are truly wealthy know that the true value in life lies in that which money cannot buy.
Or at least that's my take on life.
Thanks for posting.
I quite agree with you especially in the last paragraph. Life of value is much more important.
It's a different viewpoint where I stand. The wealthy around here are not easily recognized by their outfit. They're anything but superficial. It's the lower class that often put up a front with their appearance.
However, I get what you mean by simplicity in this context.
Thank you very much for your comments
Why do you think you'd be without discipline in terms of living simply if you had wealth?
I don't think wealth stops anyone from living simply. There are many stories around of rich people who have and are still living simply.
Thank you for your comment, the phrase before then, before now.... When I was naive.