It all started with a single computer. My father plugged in to the internet and found this home-based work that paid him huge lump-sum money. For a five-year-old, we were rich beyond imagine. It wasn’t that we were poor the years before; the fact that we had even more money than I could count gave me the impression that we were really stinking rich.
At one point, my dad got promoted and became the Executive Director of the online company he was working in. The job paid really well that my siblings and I were able to study in an exclusive school. We were also able to build ourselves a home in a newly developed subdivision. The moment my father knew his dream SUV was arriving that day, we went to the showroom and bought it on the spot. Every last weekend of the month, we would unwind to relieve all the month’s stress at a luxurious resort hotel. Every Christmas, we would shop at this high-end department store to give the best gifts for our cousins and relatives. You can say we were living the good life.
Until one morning, we literally woke up and found out that the online company my dad was working in got bankrupt and had to close down. My dad lost his job. We weren’t prepared. Just like that, everything was taken away from us. Suddenly, I felt like a whole person. Magically, I felt compassion. I felt humility. I felt human. But it came with a cost.
Leaving the fabulous life for a less expensive one was jarring. It changed me into a completely different person. I became aware of how cruel human beings can be. I became aware of all the cruelties of the world and how poor most people are. It taught me how to live in confusion, how to listen, how to struggle, how to love unconditionally, and how to value the little things we have in life. Basically, it taught me how to become a human being.
We were even lucky we weren’t transferred to a new school or even moved to a new house. Fortunately, Great Aunt Leonora offered to pay for our education. It was different though. I could feel I was poorer than my classmates. I couldn’t buy the latest clothes or even go to concerts. I couldn’t pay for my friends’ foods whenever I want just like what they do most of the time. I couldn’t hang out with them on Saturdays or even go to the movies because it’d mean a splurge in money.
Because of that significant point in my life, I learned and experienced many things the rich don’t usually get to enjoy. I learned to do housework and even cook meals. I learned to study hard and do well in everything to have a brighter future. I learned to never take things for granted. I even learned how to ride jeepneys and habal-habals. I learned to eat dirty ice cream, tempura and other street foods. I learned how to empathize and mingle with the less fortunate. I also realized that I am a lot happier now because I discovered that non-material things such as knowing you are the reason for someone's smile, love, friends, nature, family bonding, and the like are more valuable than people actually think. I didn't get that a lot back then. I learned a lot; I’m still learning everyday and I like it.
At one point I may have regretted that we became poor. Yes, there are times I miss having money to spend but it's not a problem now. Well, it is but it doesn't bother me so much. Being poor opened a lot of doors for me like getting into the University of the Philippines . If money wasn’t a question, I might have paid to get my way in a university because from what I remember, I wasn’t really smart at the start. I was able to focus on the world immediately in front of me, the world I could affect in some small way, each day, and eventually found happiness in it. Because of it, I now understand my purpose in life – to make a change and to be interested in the world. I don’t know how I’m going to do it yet but I will find a way. After all, I’m finally a human.
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