In Asia, Middle East, Africa, Southern America and other countries with not so good economic freedom, poverty is visible. Rather it is amplified so grossly that makes it difficult to look at the opportunities underneath. Let’s discuss growing while staying poor.
I am a proud Pakistani. It is badly corrupted, broken and disoriented. People are hypocrites and law doesn’t exist. It is lawlessness here. Bigger outlets feel it is filled with terror / terrorists. It is true, we have a lot of terrorists. Also — it is a not a so good place for women to walk with freedom.
I accept the flaws. It is common in all poor nations. Not related to religion but more with “better opportunity to exploit innocence”. Gangs, cults, mafias and rich people run businesses that feed, breathe and swallows people’s poverty.
In here, if we want to survive, we will have to feed on the same thing — bigger brands feed themselves; people’s innocence.
There falls the word “exploit”. We can use our country’s weaknesses to our own advantage by exploiting these Wrongs. Because everyone has a birth right to stay true to his own version of truth — and it is also everyone’s right to raise it higher, the truth, that it shakes the hard established beliefs.
Winning demands an unwavering belief in oneself.
1 — Better Relationships
More I reach the circles outside my inner relationships bounds — more I face hurdles / critics / emotions from the nearer people. Usually it is close friends, close relatives and childhood friends — mostly worried about my failure.
This is Asian culture. Expectations, hopes and dreams — but nearly no trust on instincts.
Use it in your advantage. Ask them to be hosts at your meetups. Make them buy your first product. Ask them to write newsletters for you. Put their love into your use. Make them think on the lines that can generate you revenue and make you rich.
Yep ! It is selfish. But if we do not channel our relatives love-for-us into good use — no one else will come and fix our places for us. It is either you — the selfish crook — or it is the same old politician eating up on your people’s honesty.
We can unite — through these good relationships — and make our lives easier.
Unity is an asset, rare in rich cultures.
2 — Strong will power
Poor / Black / Colored people are brave people. They are good in unimaginable number of ways. Better vocals, slangs, poets, raps and understandings than most geniuses. Unsung heroes.
Sun struck black arms, hairy arm pits, shrouded clothes and sweaty bare backs — at times these people are seen in shelters / or in labour factories / or under barren bridges.
Everyone of them is a person worth listening to. They have their thoughts coming from the closest ground realities of our world. Every time you listen to them — you get a reality check of how far we came from living real. Our food on table was meant to bring smile on people’s faces — but we got so lost in our own project — we lost there were people worth feeding.
Yep, I agree, we are rich. But when I look at my home — the home of 3rd world nations — it is the same; leaking roof, broken street and unhygeinic meals.
I am happy, that we are not in the riches yet. We have many riches above us, nights in Jacuzzi, days in resorts and evenings in expensive dines. We can also claim the kind of benefits broken claim; better understanding, vision, clearity and hunger.
It is not meant to discourage you. That you start feeling inferior. But to make you believe in yourself. That the poverty you carry to prove misery, has its addons. You are better trained to beat the crises, mould in chaos and walk consistent.
You have the will, the guts and the motion — to make money off of riches.
3 — More sense of Freedom
It is easier to control people when you have excessive resources, advanced policing and strong economy. Poor nations, luckily, lack all of the organised-living-perks.
Over speeding nearly never gets notices. Companies are regulated rarely. People are 2nd checked almost never. Mostly it is easy to walk free without worrying about legalisation notices or no-rent-pay notices.
I have been building a brand. It is working sane, good and nice. Not many people have asked me about its sources, outlets or policies. We have skipped all the useless garbage to actually work on the product. It feels like 1980s, where we can work on building internet — without worrying about EU new GDPR policies.
Conclusion
It all comes down to personal will. Even if you are in Europe, or Australia, or US, you will have the perks. But they will not be the same as they are in 3rd world. You will be lucky to have good laptop — better roads — and good rules — but when we look deeper, we realise the opposite of these facilities are also fun. These missing advancements actually bring their own kind of opportunity.
After all, only a person growing up in Pakistan, can replicate blue prints of western advancements. Not possible in west. You can not reinvent the same thing twice in the same town.
Another Paypal, or Stripe, won’t work in US — but it surely will work in our countries where there is no digital payments infrastructure.
Another Shopify or another Samsung will generate the same vibes, Ali baba generated in China or Daraz secured in Pakistan.
We are no behind than the rest of the world. We change our mindset today, start believing in ourself and get to work — tomorrow we will have the same strengths, same economic freedom and same kind of advancements — we admire in rich cultures.
It will doom us, put us back to missing good ol days, but it will be worth an effort.
Thanks for reading.
