The incoherent thoughts of this particular girl is put into words once again. This time, after a typical one-sided conversation with my grandmother about family and property.
The way i see it, there are two types of people : the Business-minded, and the Charity-minded. At least in my immediate society, it is always the former that gets the praises & credits. Why? They are creative, full of initiative, opportunistic, and usually successful. It was only in recent years that i've grown to loathe these group of people. Nowadays, i am more inclined towards charity. I am not a saint, and i'm not blowing my trumpet. Its a fact.
I never really understood why people want so much; why most of them say that they 'have to work very hard'. One may argue that i come from a wealthy family, that i have never known financial hardship. Let me make one thing very clear : my FAMILY is wealthy, not me. I dont have a scholarship, so i survive on the monthly allowances my parents give. My car was a gift from my mum because she viewed it a necessity. To me, it was a bonus. I was getting along fine hopping trains & buses.
The business minded. They buy & rent out properties...they set up shop somewhere & start selling things...and they do this in addition to their (usually) adequately-paying full-time job. My question is, WHY? I dont understand the need of taking on additional responsibilities, especially when one is living comfortably as it is. On campus, i see students joining direct-selling groups (which i believe 100% are scams) or renting our their cars. Why? Most likely explanation is that they've spent their allowance on rebonding, or the RM100 present they bought for their girlfriend/boyfriend, bought a new digital camera or topping up the balance when trading in their mobile phones for a newer model. WHY? Apparently all these have become standard 'necessities'. I see fresh, fresh graduates fussing over car payments. Its all for luxury. Just car pool, or take the train. Best example : squatter houses with the ASTRO dish.Keep your money for God's sake. Why do you want to start out in debt? In the end, they complain of having too much 'commitment', 'responsibilities' and can't manage, completely burned out. May i be blunt and say that people own these things because they can afford it; they dont need extra jobs to make it happen. The reason I have all these things is because my parents can afford these things because of their surplus in income, not for the sake of providing them for me. I have these things because i can afford it; you, dont.
My own father was telling me the other day,that he has no money, because what he has now is solely his resource to support him & his wife throughout retirement. We were in his car (mind you, a now 10-year-old S-class Mercedes Benz) mentally doing the math of how much he really needs on a monthly basis. Guess what, it amounted to RM 10,000 a month which i think is completely excessive. I've met patients with 6 kids living with salaries of less than RM1000 a month, and they are FINE. There he is living in a luxury penthouse, smoking Cuban cigars every night, driving an S-class, buying designer shoes & handbags for his wife, spending RM85000 on a watch for himself, buying >RM1000 Mont Blancs as 'stationery', with 6 laptops lying around the house among his blackberry and cutting-edge digital cameras...and you wanna tell me you dont have money? F**K OFF. The only reason you 'dont hv money' is because you want to live like Beckham. Move to a smaller apartment, get a practical car and quit spending on unnecessary things and you'll already have enough to live 100 years.
Back to topic. Its greed. Pure and simple. It may not start out that way, but all business-minded people will reach that state.
I admit, i myself want a cushy lifestyle and i'm happy as long as I have money in reserve to spend when i need, for whatever reason. Anything more than that, i have completely no use for...and i can bet there are a lot of others our there who could use some extra cash. When i was in primary school, talking to a classmate of mine...i just learned that her father was a labourer, 'pekerja buruh'. I felt bad, because i had RM2 in my pocket, and i dont know how much she had. Bear in mind, i was probably 11 at the time, with very little tact but a naive, well-meaning heart. I assumed that she must surely be poor, and i felt sad for her, almost guilty, so i tried to slip a 50sen coin into her pencilcase. She, of course, protested. It has only occured to me now how condecending my actions were, but neither of us felt that way; she knew i just wanted to help.
Personally, i just want enough to support my livelihood. I wish more people would stop trying to chase for wealth. Even now, as a student, i can save RM50-RM100 a month if i dont self-indulge. What more when i work? How much do i really need for myself? I could keep all that money and either give it to charity homes, or i could set them aside as a fund for my own doctors-without-borders project. Free medical treatment or medical education to the rural areas. Adopt a child, a teenager, sponsor their education. Feel too icky about strangers? Then i'm sure you have poorer relatives, or friends, or children of friends. It really doesnt take much. Dont have money? Give your time, lend an ear. You dont have to go so far out to seek strangers. Answer me : when was the last time u had a chat with YOUR grandmother? Or did something for someone just for the sake of it and not because they asked you to? Who is the person working next to you, what is their story? Catch up with an old friend over a cup of coffee.
Charity. It really doesnt take much. Does a person really need three houses as an investment?
I guess that's all. As i've mentioned earlier, i apologize for my incoherence. Till next time, ciao!
Office Decor Update & Making Slime | Tanya Burr
6 years ago
A good one, you nailed it!
ReplyDeletecannot agree more...if we need to be reminded, our Prophet's life was this : he NEVER kept any FOOD stock in his house overnight. because, he was never sure that he was going to live the next day. all records were showing that his family would finish up any food there r in the house (most of the time there's no food) and if there is any leftover, it'll go the poor. and look at many of us today, got assets all over the place as if they (we) are gona live for the next 1000 years. and the 'acceptable' excuse was always "im buying all these for the benefit and future security of my children...my wife..." ...i dont know y i have difficulty to actually accept that reasoning..i think our Prophect left completely NOTHING when he died, not a single cent for Aishah r.a...he was born poor, live poor, die poor. but he is the MOST SUCCESSFUL human on earth even the west admits is...agree with u, lets live within our means...look at people who have less than those who have more :-)
Hi Dima. I agree you with almost everything except when you state "The reason I have all these things is because my parents can afford these things because of their surplus in income, not for the sake of providing them for me. I have these things because i can afford it; you, dont"
ReplyDeleteI think it's harsh and not so fair. For example, I think people who work hard for the money (I'm referring to parents, not the spoilt students who used the money on BFs or GFs) because they want to give their children the best even though they can't really afford it. Penah my mum can't even afford to buy me a bicycle to go to school which costs not more than RM120 when I was standard 4,so she borrowed My arwah grandma pension money to buy me the bicycle.
So, according to your concept, if cannot afford, don't buy, but not according to my mum, since bicycle tuh important for me to go to school she sanggup bersusah-payah pinjam duit my grandma etc.
So, bersusah-payah sebab duit I think is okay for important things like education, medical bills(eg ade elderly yg sakit2)...
sometimes ppl buy houses as an investment untuk hari tua, kalau sakit etc...kadang2 ada anak pun, anak2 takde duit, anak2 pun ada hutang sendiri, anak2 pinjam duit from parents lagi ada.
So, to have some money, to invest is okay for me, as long as berpada-pada la. don't need to live a 'beckham's life'. moderation should be the way of life.
Dima, just to update you...u hv my link at ur side bar rite..the link got to be changed to
ReplyDeletehttp://musalmikholid.blogspot.com/
(so its no more d old one. i changed coz i just realize that my full name is nowhere in the blog setup)......ok dokie, hava gud day!
oh goodness dima, i agree with u 110% on this.
ReplyDeletei think people nowdays, they have no idea how to save up their money esp those living on scholars.it's pathetic really. the moment the money is banked in, they use up every single penny in a matter of days! lepas tu complain takde duit. duit yg beribu2 pegi belanja makwe/pakwe on some really expnsive handphones in which the only thing they know what to do wit it is sms/call or some SLR yg last2 pon guna auto je.hampeh betol. or complain on and on about how few clothes they have and need new jackets when u cant even cram anymore baju in their wardrobes.
it is sad. why cant they just stop before taking out the money or donate wht they have to the needy.
kalau kte baca pasal sirah, we'd know that nabi saw dgn sahabat2 baginda ada satu helai baju je and look at us now. we should feel ashamed of ourselves for always wanting more and more.it's true what they say, bersyukur lebih sukar daripada bersabar. i am also speaking for myself, astaghfirullah.
personally your comments bout money thingy is valid....i maybe older, but not certainly wiser....money is never enough for those who thinks of it, but if you try to make the most of i; it just fine. My case as an example i worked as a engineer in national oil and gas company. i do observed my colleague spending on the so called necessities....rm 2K coach handbags, I-phones stuff...not forgetting all the other branded items...made me think...if you give extra rm500 that you used monthly to those in need.. it meant the whole world for them...
ReplyDelete