There is one song I both love and hate.
It's both relatable and annoying. And I will jive to it if I don't hear for a while. But if I listen to it a second time on the same day or even the same week, I will shut off the song if possible.
So, what song is this?
No, it's not Baby by Justin Beiber. It's Husting by Rick Ross.
As the name of the song suggests, it's about hustling. In my younger years, I would listen to this song before my shifts, as it would motivate me. I was saving for school, so I needed to work as many shifts as possible when school was out.
And after all these years, I really thought I was hustling. But after coming back from a trip to a developing nation.
I realized that I never hustled once in my life.
And that was not the only lesson I got from that trip. In fact, in total, there were three lessons I took away from it.
But the million-dollar question: Where was this developing nation I visited?
Nigeria. And more specifically, Lagos.
As some of you will know, I come from a Muslim Ethiopian background. But I married into a Nigerian family, so it was time to finally meet the in-laws.
This was my first time being in Africa, and it was a shock. I saw things I would have never seen in Canada. But the most memorable things from the trip are three lessons:
Human Drive is Almost Unstoppable
The things basic things I took for granted
Extreme Poverty
Human Drive is Almost Unstoppable
When I landed at the airport, I saw Nigerians offering services to me.
Once out of the airport, the same thing happened. People were ready to help and make anything easier for you, from parking to packing your stuff. And keep in mind these are not airport staff.
To Westerners, this would seem odd.
But in Nigeria, this is the norm. You can find anybody to help you out for a fee. The reason for all of this is Nigeria's unemployment rate is staggering by 20%.
So, if people can't find jobs, they must create them themselves. Whether that's selling to clients in the market, in traffic, or in their makeshift store, they generate an income no matter the obstacles. And something I find even odd is that there are countless others selling the same stuff a few meters away! Yet, this does not deter any of them.
We should bear our destiny, not weep over it—Publius Syrus.
This unstoppable human drive did not only pertain to making money. I saw people with lame legs who did not have wheelchairs use makeshift skateboards to travel. The Nigerian hustle is astonishing.
And it brings me shame.
I have a decent job, and I don't even have 10% of the work ethic of these Nigerian entrepreneurs. And I like to think that I work hard.
So, I had to eat a humble pie and reevaluate my efforts in life. In fact, I had to review the things I took for granted.
Things I took for granted
Believe it or not, consistent power is a luxury. The power will go out at a moment's notice, so if you can't afford a backup generator, you will be waiting for the power to turn on.
So TV, air conditioning, wi-fi, etc., will not be consistent. I had no idea this could be a luxury. Growing up in Canada, I always had power.
The same goes for drinkable water.
You cannot drink tap water in Nigeria (and any developing nation). That's a simple way to get cholera or other local illnesses. So you have to buy bottled water to drink.
Again, I thought bottled water was a bougie thing in the West. But in many places, it's a necessity. If I was ever thirsty in Canada, I could drink from the tap, yet that's asking for trouble for most of the world.
Speaking of trouble, I could easily get scammed if I were not on my guard in Lagos.
So, Nigeria is one of the hotbeds for scams.
Who hasn't gotten the Nigerian Prince emails? But in Nigeria, scams are not only online but in the streets! Stores or vendors will try to scam you by telling you they don't have any change if you buy an item. This is a simple way for them to get more money than the value of their products. For me, I didn't care. But my family refused to buy anything unless they would get their exact change. They scolded me and lectured me on how they were trying to rip us off.
I saw this 'don't have enough change' tactic so many times that it was annoying. In Canada, I would rarely have to worry about stores trying to rip me off. For me personally, it was a little mentally exhausting to be on my guard.
Yet, what drained me emotionally the most was seeing extreme poverty.
I honestly thought I saw poverty.
In 2018, I worked on an aboriginal reserve in northern Canada. And I saw abandoned homes, poor and damaged homes, illiteracy, etc. And that was surprising to see in Canada.
In Lagos, the poverty was the worst I have ever seen
Seeing shacks and people begging constantly. It was tough to see and imagine.
I couldn't wrap my head around seeing people living in such abject conditions. Yet, here I am in my comfortable condo in Canada. I've been so sheltered that all the problems we think we have pale in comparison to what so many of the world experience.
When I talked to a local, I told him how shocking it was to see such poverty and asked him how he was able to live with this. He gave me a very simple response: It's reality.
The West shelters us so much, and we don't even know what most of the world is like. And if we did, we would be incredibly grateful for our lives and institutions.
All our first-world problems, like getting ghosted, not getting that promotion/job, etc., are nothing compared to the more severe realities for a significant part of the world.
All you can ask for yourself is to fulfill your potential with your current blessings.
Know your key quality, your outstanding gift. Cultivate it, and improve the rest. Everyone could have been pre-eminent in something, if they had been aware of their best quality. Identify your key attribute and redouble its use. In some this is their judegemnt, in others courage. Most people misuse their capabilities, and so achieve superiority in nothing. What passion rushes to flatter, time is slow to disillusion us about.—Baltasar Gracián
As much as these lessons are valuable, they are pretty obvious.
However, until I went to a developing nation, I couldn't absorb these lessons into my soul. It's one thing to read about them, and it's another to accept these lessons when seeing things for yourself.
Now, I'm not saying to book a trip to a developing nation immediately. But I would recommend that you become more acquainted with the realities of the world and remind yourself how incredibly blessed you are despite whatever obstacles you face in life.
And if the time calls for it, go visit a developing nation.
You won't come back the same person. Any person I know who has visited a developing nation rarely returned the same.
One of my close friends went to visit family in Somalia, and he saw abject poverty. He couldn't shake off the feeling of how incredibly grateful he was.
Another co-worker of mine lived in China when his family was posted there. Again, he saw abject poverty, which deeply affected him.
Being coddled with our Western luxuries, we have no idea what reality is for billions of people.
The life of man is like going a long distance with a heavy load upon the shoulders. Haste not. Reproach none, but be forever watchful of thine own shortcomings. Forbearance is the basis of length of days.–Iyéyasu.
With all this being said, please don't make the mistake of forgetting these lessons. Review them and remind yourself how incredibly grateful you are. Believe it or not, many of our blessings can be taken away in the blink of an eye.
Fortune is fickle, and speedily asks back her favours.—Publius Syrus.
So, be aware of your advantages in life and make the most of them. We never know when our lives can change irrevocably.
So, if my message is not clear:
Take action on your goals and dreams.
One's self is the basis of everything. Every action is a manifestation of the self. A person who doesn't know himself can do nothing for others.—Takuan (in the Musashi novel)
Alright, now the summary.
Summary
Lesson 1: You will see how far the human drive can go in developing nations. Despite the many obstacles, people will find a way to earn a living.
Lesson 2: Power, constant internet, and drinkable water are some of the many things we take for granted in the West.
Lesson 3: Extreme poverty is an accepted reality for most of the world.
The West shelters us from the harsh realities of life. Still, it is your responsibility to fulfill your potential with all the blessings of living in the West.
These lessons are important, but if you do not constantly remind yourself of them or visit a developing nation, you will forget them.
An easy mistake is to forget these lessons, so be sure to review them weekly, if not daily.
Life in the West is one of the greatest gifts we can receive.
Yes, it has its own unique problems. But we make things worse by getting into our own heads and squandering it.
So absorb these lessons and make the most of your life.
You don't have to worry about getting cholera, finding your next meal, or if the power will come on.
If you need a little boost, listen to Hustling by Rick Ross. That should get you going.
Until next time,
Bulcha
The Charismatic Nerd
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