Okay, I’m going to be writing on something a bit different; LOVE. I’m in no way saying I know all about it, I just want to share a part of what I’ve observed and learned so far.
Source: TRUE LOVE
Month: May 2016
TRUE LOVE
Okay, I’m going to be writing on something a bit different; LOVE. I’m in no way saying I know all about it, I just want to share a part of what I’ve observed and learned so far.
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TRUE LOVE – http://wp.me/p6EPsb-1S
The little big book
In a world with so much information, everyone moves around looking for the right
information to meet his or her needs. But, more often than not, they end up finding
nothing but broken dreams and wasted money. Occasionally some of them stumble upon a book. A little big book which can clothe the poor, mend the broken hearted, grant comfort to the
lonely and bring peace to the weary. It can single handedly solve all of man’s problems yet it was written with the fingers of man but inspired by God.
Although a lot of people have this book in their possession only few can see past
the black and white and see the power in that lies in pages within.
Relative Deprivation: (The story of an Average Nigerian).
Relative deprivation is the experience of being deprived of something to which one believes to be entitled. It refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to others and realize that they have less of what they believe themselves to be entitled than those around them.
Nigeria ranks 12th in the world on price of PMS. That is there are only 11 countries that sell fuel cheaper than us. With the recent change our rank may fall to about 37th position . (Note: position ties are counted so actual ranking would be lower)
Hence, we sell PMS cheaper than most countries in the world.
The average monthly salary of an American bank Teller is about $2500 while that of a Nigerian banker is about NGN100,000 which translates to about $500. At first sight the disparity looks too high. That’s because it’s measured relatively.
The average cost of an inexpensive meal in America is $12, while in Nigeria it’s about 600, (that’s what a link says, but we know bole, ewa agoyin, roasted yam, okpa and the test, are far much cheaper so I’ll use N400. Which is even too much, I no fit chop N400 okpa)
Hence if two tellers eat for 5 days, in America he /she would have spent about 2.5% of her salary, while in Nigeria 2%
Relatively the expense is the same
Haircut
USA $28 ( 1.1% of income)
Nigeria NGN 300 (0.3% of income)
The trend is the same for housing, clothing, virtually everything. Relative to Nigeria, Nigerians have better value for their money than an American counterpart. But relative to America, we are broke and suffering.
The truth is that we’ve used the western countries as a yardstick for good living, this then presents a false picture of what life should be like. A Nigerian banker then goes to by a Crockett & Jones bespoke shoe for $550(lol, he’s monthly salary) when he can by and Aba bespoke shoe for about 5-10% of that same price with almost the same quality.
Their picture should just guide us on what development should look like. But, we should create a system that produces better value for money. The truth is that with increase in salary on a national scale without adequate checks and balances, the overall cost of goods would increase to match that increase in salary, giving us the same value for money.
That’s the case in America, their high salaries are matched with equally high cost of goods and services, making us to live relatively better lives here in Nigeria. But, when we travel out and our scale changes, we soon realise we’re worse off.
An average Nigerian wants Harvard standard of education but we cannot afford Harvard fees, our expensive private schools are relatively cheaper compared to those abroad.
There’s need to increase the “standard of living”, a huge need, but this shouldn’t be done by comparing ourselves to the west.
This can be done developing our local capacities not to match the western world but to effectively solve both local and international challenges. By doing so, we would create a niche for ourselves and become sought after. And this is exactly what China did.
We’ve got work to do, together we can build a nation of our dreams.
#GodblessNigeria
Sources
Boundless. “Relative Deprivation Approach.” Boundless Sociology. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 13 May. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/social-change-21/social-movements-140/relative-deprivation-approach-771-1936/
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Bank_Teller/Hourly_Rate
Trials of a Christian
Some days we sit, asking if our prayers have been heard.
When we are all alone in the darkness of our troubles, confused, wondering if our lives will eventually amount to anything.
Days like these we doubt everything we’ve ever know about God, we sometimes venture into doubting the existence of God himself.
The trail of our faith is a very scary experience, it can make an unbeliever out of a clergymen. And turn the most devout of Christians into godless men. But if endured to the end it yields great results.
*[[Jas 1:3-4]] KJV* Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
SIMPLE THOUGHTS – In the face of despair
I can’t give up, not now, not ever, too much has been sacrificed for me to be here.
I am yet to get to my destination.
I can’t give up, it’ll be a shame, after all these pain and suffering, there’s no reward, no success to show for it.
I can’t give up, it’s not by power nor by might but by the spirit.
Grace is enough to hold me.
The struggle
It’s funny, the struggle for attainment.
When we try to reach our goals and our efforts fall through. We try to make sense of it, yet nothing seems comforting. At certain points we begin to doubt the words God has said, sometimes falling in so deep that we even doubt Him.
Luckily, we often get a reality check jolting us back to reality. I’ve come to a conclusion thar even if there’s no reason to hope or believe, yet will I hope. Because life suddenly loses all its meaning to me once God is absent from it.
Tips for healthy living
Never negotiate with the devil
Never try to be someone else, you are who you are, God created you perfectly.
Find your calling and talent, then your life will begin to unfold to you.
You are not going to continue another man’s legacy, start yours
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