Sometimes I sit down and ask myself this question, is it good to be poor? Because many of us grew up where poverty is like normal thing. In my area, almost everybody struggle to eat, to pay school fees, to even buy ordinary clothes.
From my own experience, I will not say it is good to be poor, because being poor come with many pain. When you are poor, you don’t have choice. You eat whatever is available, you wear whatever somebody give you, and many times your dream is limited. I remember when I was in secondary school, I almost miss exam because I cannot pay registration fee on time. That day I cry because I know I am not lazy, I study hard, but poverty was holding me back.
But at the same time, being poor also taught me lesson. It make me value small things. When I finally eat good food after hunger, I appreciate it more. When I buy my first shoe with my own little savings, I treat it like gold. Poverty make me strong and give me hunger for success. So maybe the only good part of being poor is that it can push you to fight for better life.
Still, if I have choice, I will never choose poverty. Nobody should. It take away dignity and peace of mind. People look down on you when you are poor, even if you have good character. Sometimes, people don’t even hear your voice in community because you are not rich.
So, in my heart, I believe it is not good to be poor, but if you ever find yourself in poverty, you can still use the pain as fire to work harder. Poverty should not be permanent, it should be a stage to climb out from.