Growing up, I lived in an average Nigerian home, but my mother provided everything we needed, making our life feel rich. She always had food and provisions stocked up, so we never had to borrow from our neighbors. She even kept snacks like biscuits and sweets at home. While we weren't wealthy, everything we needed was always available in my mother's room.
When I had to live with someone else for a while, I experienced a new way of life. Every time we needed something, we had to buy it in small quantities from the neighborhood shop. This was a shock to me, as I was used to having everything I needed at home. I realized that not everyone has the same capacity to provide for themselves.
image sourceThis reminded me of a story about a rich son who had never experienced poverty. He thought it was just an English word until he saw a beggar and asked his driver why they were begging. The driver explained that they were poor, and the son was surprised. He asked why they were poor if they worked just like his parents. His parents had to explain things to him, and he was moved to help the poor from then on.
This experience taught me that there are things we may not understand because they don't happen in our environment. That's why research and learning about different people, places, tribes, and cultures is important. We should always appreciate our position and never look down on anyone. If we have the capacity to help, we should do so.
This has made me to always render help to others in a little way I have, and it has also helped me to appreciate my mother effort.
This also helped to to realize that our circumstances are different. And we should not look down on anybody in different circumstances.