The musings of a broke, mid-20s UK Drill-rap aficionado. Though more likely to worry more about his empty pockets than his academic grades, he sees being broke as a way lesser affliction than a lack of purpose. Fes-to-fus, who purpose epp?
Being Broke.
Nowadays, everyone’s probably just one data subscription away from filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Some people manage to become stock-brokers. Well, I’m just broke. An accomplished broke-broker who lives with his mum and frictions get us into logger-heads.
In the Nigerian context, being broke is not the only problem — there’s the societal perception that messes you up to. No, you can’t be broke in peace. You’re not the UN. You’re also not an ambassador of peace.
When you’re broke, you get into a very dark phase, you lose motivation for life, you feel pretty sorry for yourself but when the light-bulb moment hits you — you realize all that pent-up misery was much ado about nothing. Survival makes you every short-sighted.
Wagwan to the Mandem.
“Masculine” legend has it that two things need to be on your CV to consolidate your test as an happening guy. First — being broke. Second — having your heart broken by a lady.
Oh well, both dey my CV. But there’s something even more brutal than the above tests — being a broke Nigerian.
Being a broke Nigerian.
Like me, if you’re one, you already have life thrashing you like you’re up against Bayern Munich — it’ll test the very components of your belief system, your integrity, morals or lack thereof. It’ll also put your tenacity for purpose to the test.
This is the poverty capital of the world. If you’re broke in the poverty capital of the world — in my opinion, that’s a round peg in a round hole. But, everyone still wants to make me feel like shit. Where una dey see this money?
But poverty really is a conception of the mind. I have no doubt that reality is reality. However, sometimes our perception of reality is more significant than reality in itself. We sometimes play the game of life to survive and not to win. What choice have we really? When you play to win, there’re worse odds and bigger risks. The thought and fear of failure drives us to play to survive. But, survival never ends, it’s a cycle. If your goal is to survive, you’ll always be trapped in that cycle of survival.
Anyhoo — The Vida is Loca
Winning is about purpose. And speaking of purpose, it could be anything that makes you tick, anything that gets you up in the morning feeling dangerous, and raring to go and make you some bread dammit!
Anything that makes you feel untouchable in your mind, and in real life — think skill acquisition, passion, love, pursuit — and if it should come to it — happiness. If you’re in your twenties, be disciplined about something. Allow for the possibility that you have something meaningful to contribute to the world — and the world will be a lesser place without that contribution.
Heck. Just spread your love on your purpose, as you would Nutella.
