Do not wear yourself out to get rich!

Hello mi neighbour! “What a gwan mi bredrin?”

“Bway, mi nuh deh pon nutten yuh nuh”.

“How yuh mean nuh deh pon nutten?”

“Becau nutten nah gwan fi me...

“Mi baan in poverty, live in poverty and gwaine die in poverty! Everybody round mi poor.”

Does that scenario sound familiar? Of course! Okay. Fact of life: some people are rich, and some are poor – then we have the in-between. Do those factors, of necessity, determine the final outcome of one’s life?

People who have unlimited access to the finer things of life: good health, proper housing, a good education, food, clothing, ability to travel far and wide, and who usually have the last say, etc., are called the rich. On the other hand, those who must only ‘speak when they are spoken to’, are always in want and cannot make two ends meet etc., are classified as poor.

The poor dream of becoming rich one day! Motivated by the fear of poverty, the rich dream of becoming richer. And what do we have here? Two groups fighting for survival. The rich would never want to lose his wealth or see the poor become rich, while the poor long for the day when the tables turn. But that may not happen any time soon. According to the poet, “the rich will become richer and the poor poorer”. Be that as it may, with the correct perspective on life, both the rich and the poor can equally enjoy a rich life! No need for animosity, bad blood, covetousness or bitterness between both groups.

By seeing ourselves as creatures placed on this earth by the Creator to play the role for which He has equipped us, we will be better able to enjoy life to its fullest, wealthy or not. Let’s get on with it! There is always an oversupply of everything that we need to sustain life on the earth. The over eight billion people on this planet can eat three square meals every day with leftovers for the dumpster.

And a child will ask Daddy or Mummy the question: how come there is so much food in the world and yet some nine million people die of starvation every year. Well that is a $9m question. What do you think? Is it the fault of those dying of starvation, the fault of those responsible for food distribution, or the fault of governments?

The fact is, the Creator has equipped humanity with resources, abilities and the knowledge to produce, reproduce, cultivate, prepare, package and distribute food for the consumption of mankind. Through a combination of selfishness, laziness, covetousness, and mean-spiritedness etc., we made a disaster of the divine programme.

We stage wars and cut off food supplies to the hungry, mismanage His resources, rob the poor, trample on the weak and, at the end of the day, would want to blame the “Giver of all good things” for all these atrocities! Crazy? Well, we may blame on, but a day of reckoning comes! And I’ll leave it there.

But, listen to these words of wisdom: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” When we value our worth in riches, we never have enough and we never reach the value we desire.

Lest yours truly be misunderstood, there’s nothing wrong with people acquiring wealth as a result of their hard work and dedication. But, here is the deal, whether you were born in poverty, live in poverty or expect to die in poverty, by finding and living in accordance with your God-given role on earth, you could still live the rest of your life in wealth and die rich!

KINDLY HELP A NEIGHBOUR WITH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING

1. Stove

2. Refrigerator

3. Bed

4. Food

5. Help with medication

6. Financial assistance to start a little business live

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 876 649-9636. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.