Jean Macqou:

it cant be that easy

Ask those that aren't poor, they will tell you that nothing comes easy. The reason many many are poor is because they want the easy road!!

The issue here is that, most people are easily confused because they lack the requisite KNOWLEDGE. "...my people perish for lack of knowledge."
You see i can't just say "YES" or "NO". There's a difference between POVERTY and POOR. Get me clearly;
To be POOR is a state/point when we experience "Insuficiency/Broke", while POVERTY is a "Lifestyle". Now see, you will assume the identity of a "POOR MAN" in the eyes of people; no matter whom you are, when you can't afford something at some point. But you see, we can't say that you are a "POVERTY MAN" at that. It's even grammatically wrong. So in essence, it's only when we continue to remain in the state of POOR (insufficiency/broke) without an attempt to find solution to change the situation, then POVERTY (lifestyle), tends to control/adjust the way we think & live with the insufficient resources continualy. I could go on...
You can email me at: "joach3k5@hotmail.com" for more.

ow11:


I didn't know farmlands were still handed out for free and EVERY seed grows to a tree and must produce EQUAL number of fruits. You sound like the prosperity preacher the OP is worried about.

Most people you see in urban centres like Lagos have access to massive tracts of farmlands in their villages.
A cousin of mine who lives in the village came to town to seek my assistance. He said he wants to move to the city to look for a job. He is educated to secondary school level. I asked how much salary he is expecting to earn. He said he would be so happy if he saw a job that would pay him 12,000 monthly.
Then it hit me, this guy is the eldest in his family which has been and still is caretaker of over 500 Acres of land that my grandfather left behind. And he would be glad to have a 12,000 naira a month job in the city!! What a waste!!

A driver that works for me once told me that if I need land, he can take me to his village.For 50,000 Naira, the chiefs would give me a spear and however far I throw it, they would give it to me for farming. And he is from Benue state- Most fertile in the country!

And by the way, my calculations were a mathemathical illustration so I didn't by any means equate that in a realistic situation it would turnout perfect like I illustrated.

Choices my brother determine to a large extent where we are and where we would be tommorow!! Someoneelse's choice may have determined where we are today, but where we would be tommorow is totally dependent on the choices we make today!

o.obim:
I think it is a choice!i hav a relative who drives okada in d village and has vowed to die as an okada rider.every one has asked him to come learn something else in d city,bt he refused.i believ one thing:there is no particular formular 2 succes

dat he drive's okada dos'nt mean he's poor bro. So long as he is comfortable with his living condition,&he's not beggin to feed he's family. Afterall my father was&still his a transporter not making that much,but he made me &my siblings feel lyk d richest kids in d world.

Papabrown,

Spot on body.

Godman_n: The truth is that by our actions, we can make our life better. But another truth, is that by the circumstances of birth or the environment we find ourselves, there is a circle we can never be able to come out of.

What I am saying in essence, is that we have enough power to move toward the perimeter of a circle, which is determined by factors outside our control. Where we place ourselves within that circle of riches/poverty is purely within our actions and in-actions. But we lack the ability to go beyond the circle or to even determine its width. It is purely that of destiny and chance.

Determining this circle and making the best out of it our task.

The fact also is that most people that have access to nairaland will never imagine what it means to be born into absolute poverty, where you will never even discover yourself, let alone being able to change your condition. We can think and talk because primarily, we have been educated. Some people can never be able to read and write. Some will have to till the ground with "crude" hoe and cutlasses, not even in their own land for they have no access to land of their own, but for some other people, only to be paid wages that can hardly buy two meals a day. How will such a person ever break out of the "poverty circle"?

How will the millions in northern Nigeria who has been completely brainwashed to believe that their God created them to be poor ever realise themselves?

Did they choose to be brainwashed as little children? Whereas we are lucky to be sent to schools, or even be left alone to think for ourselves, some was completely brainwashed. How will they ever break out of the poverty circle having been denied a brain to think?

Poverty can be a consequence of poor decisions and laziness; it can as well be a matter of circumstance.

true talk, infact u have summarised the major points with this post

well......i wount say being rich or poor is a choice as no one on earth will ever want to be poor. In the current situation we all find ourselves, being rich tends to be a difficult task but we all know giving up is not an option. The basic thing the poor people always fail to do is to seek knowledge. getting rich is never by hard work. when there is knowledge, everything is made easy and it will no longer be that difficult to acquire wealth. There are a whole lot of things to do in other to be rich. meet friends, ask questions and you shall find answers.
one of which i can advise people to indulge in is the forex trading. Never you attend any seminar for this as it's not worth it. find friends alike who can help by teaching you. Its as easy as abc. if u feel a particular business and have inteligent ideas on it but find capital as an issue, you can meet with some succesful business men either in church, party just anywhere. there is no harm in trying. I can assure you, why most rich men hate the poor is because of thier lack of skill and intelligence. Once they find this good qualities in an individual, they are always willing to help. you can go into just anything in life.....all you need is to build and strategise urself.

The poverty is a choice mantra leads us to believe that over a billion people on this earth have chosen to be poor.

In fact some of them chose the worst forms of poverty by remaining in war torn or famine ravaged conditions with high infant mortality and low life expectancy.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I would urge all God fearing people to remove themselves from surroundings where a poor man feels more condemned than rich thieves, some of whom dine openly with the so called prosperity pastors.

They all sit in their special high chairs together spewing out words of false humility while lapping up all the adulation as if it is their source of life.

My greatest annoyance is at those who have completely set aside their moral compass in the name of the prosperity gospel.

Far from the church influencing the world, the system of the world has taken firm root in the church. It's all about "get rich or die trying".

People now go around singing "I'm so rich it doesn't make sense", or "I'm loaded" in church. If that is praise and worship, then it doesn't take a genius to figure out what they are praising and worshipping.

So much to say, so little time. In summary, there is a false revival going on. The boom in church attendance is down to people's desires to be rich, healthy and physically successful. It has nothing to do with their love for God. If a babalawo offered better returns, that's where they'll be.

Do you know must of us on nairaland here are priviledge people! We are priviledge one way or the other, to be educated, to be born by parent that are responsible,.... Do you know most of the bus conductors if given the priviledge we have will perform better? You can only manage what exists no matter how small, what of if there is nothing to manage? I believe poverty and riches are matter of choice when there is opportunity, if there is no opportunity at all especially at the early stage of one's life, it can only be changed through luck and divine intervention. So, some of us that have opportunity and hold on to that opportunity should not see other as fools!

coolguy2002: yes. if u dad never took his studies seriously that u will be poor

You are WRONG bro. You meant GEJ was shoeless during his juvenile cos the dad refused to take his studies seriously? Why is he one of the riches and one of the most powerful men in the world now?

You also meant commercial motorists specially in Lagos state who shout their heads out for passengers from 5am to God knows hours in the nite (365days a year) yet barely subsist choose to remain that way for the rest of their life?

Dude, pls say something convincing.

IT IS TRUE what he said, though its not as straight forward as he put it. ur decisions in life are what determine if u prosper or fail. ur decisions are CHOICES. therefore we indirectly choose to fail or succeed in life. bieng born into poverty is no excuse, countless people have escaped poverty by taking their destiny in their hands, believing THEY control their lives and not circumstances and working hard till they prospered, thats the kind of mentality needed to break out of poverty. the ones that couldnt had the exact opposite mentality. they believed destiny is controled by God or other spiritual elements and they where victims of their circumstances which they cannot do anything to change. this sort of mentality would ensure you die in abject poverty.

Is there any poor man that can't remember a decision prays he has an opportunity to rescind? People are too careless in life. No matter how poor anyone is, he has an investment opportunity.You maynot be able to invest in a business but can invest in people. U don't need money to do that. Be kind and nice to everyone u come across. We are so conscious of our immediate problems that we neglect d needy. Have u asked ur neighbour why his kids no longer go to school? Hv u eva stopped dat kid on the rd who walks to sch everyday with thorn uniforms and bare foot to giv him a gift of a rubber sandal and clothing? These people are ur investment opportunities. These are people who probably wil keep u standing romorrow. Note dat not all of dem wil turn out profitable but is there any business dat does? I hv seen a colleague dump his job for anoda beta paying job dat just arrived without looking at the companies human resource mgt history. He was thrown out of the lucrative job within 5months. He is stil searching today. I hate to hear people talk of hardwork. Many are yet to get familiar with meaning and simply assume it means getting into severe physical exhaustion in d course of working. Being born into wealth does not gurantee success neither is d most remote background a sentence to poverty. Yes, d later requires more smart work and precision in decision making. We talk of war thorn areas, do u remember a Nigerian goal keeper died trying to secure a job in such an area? He probably heard of people who had taken dat advantage, but his own life was d sacrifice for attempting. When u discuss abt celebrities, u often hear people say 'dis guy wey de call us bros dos days for mushin' Some often expect something from these people. Kindly list d help u rendered when u were the 'bros' We need wisdom to excel. Let me also note dat many churches manipulate dia members today; u also need wisdom to deal wit what u hear.

This is what religion does to people. The reetard of a pastor must have forgotten that there are people who came into this world with millions and billions of naira waiting for them to spend. In the same vein, there are hard working people who have done everything under the sun to make it in life and still, they can barely feed themselves due to the negative factors acting against their interests. I wonder if he would still keep the same ideology if tithes and offerings were made illegal in Nigeria. Then the money would stop flowing from his mugus and he'll be forced to join the struggling masses. Then i would love to see if he still holds such a dumb a$$ ideology.

Funny thing is, a lot of brain dead religious zombies believe such nonsense because they refuse to put their peanut sized brains to work. Everything Oga Pastor says is the law.

Nincompoops!!!

My answer to this would be 80percent YES, poverty is a choice and 20percent NO, poverty is not a choice.
YES as in -- it is not your origin that matters in life, it is your destination.
Some people were born into poverty but have been able to change their stars by turning thing around and are no longer consider poor.
Some were born into wealth but today are poorer that poverty itself because they could not manage very well their possessions.

Directly or indirectly you can choose to be poor by the consequences of your actions and lifestyle.
It is not how much we make that determines maybe you will be rich or not, but how you are able to manage what you make/earn.
Live within your means, delay instant gratification, save money and invest, are common ideas that would help you become rich in life.

Most people lack "financial intelligence" and that is why they remain poor even though they try alot but without knowledge, people perish.
To become successful in life, not only rich, you must use your mind and the power of thought. "As a man thinketh in his mind, so is he"
You cannot do just anything to be successful but you must do something, exactly the right thing.

"To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must become someone you have never being before and do something you have never done before"!!

Believe me, if you are poor now, you can make it and become rich but first you must believe and be ready to change.
Everything in life has a price, if you can pay the price -- then you can achieve it.
Bill Gate paid the price and birth "Microsoft", Mark Zuckerberg paid the price and birth "Facebook" .... The world is waiting for you !!!

1.IT'S A CHIOCE because u don't ve any excuse because any challenge u can ever complain abt ppl ve risen above it 2 be successful n rich bth in ancient n modern days 2.IT'S A CHOICE,because if u r wise n u knw ur FATHER owns everything den u ve no bizness 2 be poor,because u will ask HIM 4 ur giftins,talent so u can use it 2better ursef n ur environment 3.IT'S A CHOICE,because most ppl r not faithful or lck integrity 2 follow thru wit wat dey believe in eventhough d road is rough

@childluck

My answer to this would be 80percent YES, poverty is a choice and 20percent NO, poverty is not a choice.
YES as in -- it is not your origin that matters in life, it is your destination.
Some people were born into poverty but have been able to change their stars by turning thing around and are no longer consider poor.
Some were born into wealth but today are poorer that poverty itself because they could not manage very well their possessions.

True.

Directly or indirectly you can choose to be poor by the consequences of your actions and lifestyle.

True.

It is not how much we make that determines maybe you will be rich or not, but how you are able to manage what you make/earn.

And how about those who aren't earning all because they either can't get a job or their mediocre jobs can't provide enough for one meal a day? Is poverty their choice as well?

Live within your means, delay instant gratification, save money and invest, are common ideas that would help you become rich in life.

That's for those who EARN!

Most people lack "financial intelligence" and that is why they remain poor even though they try alot but without knowledge, people perish.
To become successful in life, not only rich, you must use your mind and the power of thought. "As a man thinketh in his mind, so is he"
You cannot do just anything to be successful but you must do something, exactly the right thing.

Yeah, i can see you've been reading "Rich Dad,Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki but what you fail to realize is Robert's audience. He is talking to EARNERS within the western hemisphere! Do you know how many jobless graduates Nigeria has? Before you start talking about "creating employment", they have already taken to okada riding,bus conducting and basket weaving and even these "sectors" are already filled up.

"To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must become someone you have never being before and do something you have never done before"!!

Yeah, i also read that somewhere.

Believe me, if you are poor now, you can make it and become rich but first you must believe and be ready to change.
Everything in life has a price, if you can pay the price -- then you can achieve it.

That's true IF the opportunity presents itself. A lot of frustrated people with this line of thought finally turn to crime...FACT!!!

Bill Gate paid the price and birth "Microsoft", Mark Zuckerberg paid the price and birth "Facebook" .... The world is waiting for you !!!

...And there are tens of thousands of others who went down that road and ended up in failure. We talk about them and use them as role models because they succeeded. My point is, these "ideologies" of yours fit in a society that works. Nigeria on the other hand has more than enough factors working against self development. The electricity failure for starters has killed so many business e.g cold rooms etc Go to the property section of nairaland and type "I WANT TO BUY A HOTEL or I WANT TO BUY A FILLING STATION" and i assure you within the next 12 hours, your email inbox will be flooded with tons of emails. Your phone will be buzzing non stop.

MOREWAT, YOU ARE RIGHT.

Well, nobody intentionally choose to be poor. But un consciously choice to be poor.

@ harakiri. You know you very correct with your analysis.

@ harakiri.
Thanks for your analysis about my post. Very impressive and i admire your intelligence.

Everything in life is a choice!!!
Not choosing or not having a choice is also a choice.

Being frustrated is a choice because you can choose not to.
Giving-up on life is a choice --- you can choose not to.

Irrespective of your location in life --- "We all can change our lives by using the power of the mind"

I changed the course of my life the day i decided that "if i dont make it in life, it is my fault"
When i fail i dont blame nobody but me. Not the goverment or family. I rule my world in partnership with GOD!!! That's just me anyway.

I happen to have been there done that and I also have helped alot of people through that same road many times before.
To be successful, you must know the recipe for success, just like a chef knows the recipe for all kinds of dishes.
You can not be successful by luck!! Preparedness + opportunity = LUCK.

There is a place called "the Beginning" which does not determine "the End".
It is what happens in-between that matters. If you MUST succeed, then you MUST not give up.
Courage, discipline, sacrifice, humility, are some of the virtues one must possess to be successful in life.

Reading is my hubby as you would have noticed and it does me a whole lot of good. the ROI is very high for me.
One of my personal slogans "If the mind is not defeated, the battle is not lost" Battles of life are lost/won first in the mind.
You must have a goal and you must have a dream -- these would comfort you when the road is rough and lonely.

"Damn pride, damn class, you must give it all that it takes" --- those are the words of my mentor.

Ask yourself, if an illiterate can turn around his/her tide and become rich and successful, what excuse does an "unemployed" graduate has

Somebody once said that "The true virtue of education should be Intelligence and Character"

No matter how prepared, intelligent, smart, hardworking you are, if you're unfortunate to come across opportunity; you will still remain poor. And being prepared, smart, intelligent, hardworking doesn't guarantee you opportunity. People living in villages lack opportunities due to the environment in which they find themselves. We have more people (and poor) living in villages/rural areas than we have in urban areas, yet no or little opportunities around them. Or, are you telling me that all of them should move to urban areas because of opportunities. Just like all Nigerians should move to USA because of opportunities.

Poverty is a choice but not a deliberate choice
All three things you need to overcome poverty are:
1. Knowledge (not necessarily being a graduate but have firsthand knowledge of certain businesses)
2. Opportunities (having the right people in the right places at the right time)
3. Determination (the will to success against all odd)

When the bible said there must be poor among us it didn't mean they have to be extremely poor like the people you see in Ajegunle but they should be comfortable and be able to afford good food,moderate home like mini flat or 2 bedroom flat as well as cheap cars for mobility.
Government also have a role to play in making all this possible,with bad government like ours its hard to live like the bible supposed "poor people".

[quote author=Stancima]Is there any poor man that can't remember a decision prays he has an opportunity to rescind? People are too careless in life. No matter how poor anyone is, he has an investment opportunity.You maynot be able to invest in a business but can invest in people. U don't need money to do that. Be kind and nice to everyone u come across. We are so conscious of our immediate problems that we neglect d needy. Have u asked ur neighbour why his kids no longer go to school? Hv u eva stopped dat
another wisdom talk no comment from me

Joseph d carpenter, d father of Jesus, did he choose to be poor
, Cos virtually he had no money to pay for an inn, instead they
Borrowed him a meanger were Jesus was born. Ur riches and glory
All comes frm God, nobody here in naija would boldly want
To say he chooses lack over aboundancy, God gives riches 2 whoever
He chooses period, case closed.

My friends,

You are a product of your environment, unless you move out.

Some people are paupers in their villages until they came to Lagos.

Some people are paupers in Nigeria until they travel abroad.

Nigeria is a third World county.

So poverty is a choice for those who know their way-out.

And poverty is not choice for those who don't know their way-out.

I belief poverty is a thing of the mind.Poverty is ruthless and highly wicked and is attracted to the one whose mind is favorable to it,as money is attracted to him whose mind has been deliberately prepared to attract it.Has for those complaining about trying so many things and still poverty refuse to go,this is my advice,you can't purse poverty away without being persistence and tenporary defeat will always come,you just have to be persistence and with time the result will actually come .You can read this book by Napoleon Hill(THINK AND GROW RICH) .It provides a valuable insight.

@OP,
I have learnt a lot from a number of posts here however if we look at the great wise one in the bible, he said:

Eccl.9:11
11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

I think poverty can be a choice but at the same time it might not be a choice.
Some people chose poverty unconsciously by their actions, some make such faulty choices yet it turns around to favour them.

Some make all the right choices yet it doesn't just work out all the same.

I believe there is a time for everybody and opportunity (chance) that could be taken that would launch one into a whole new world.

Hard work and wisdom is important to snap out of poverty, however sometimes that perfect timing or great chance may be all that is needed to move one out of poverty to wealth.

Also poverty is a thing of the mind just as many people said...some may not have all they need but know they are wealthy because the supply of a need comes at the nick of time.

A 'poor' man may not have all he needs now but he knows what to do to meet that need and gets what he wants.
In summary, I believe Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Indeed "poverty is a choice" much like success is a choice also . Lets not make an experiment out of this precious short life of ours . Simply take the time (which is the ultimate investment resource) to study the lives of those around you and it becomes obvious that the outcome of our experience in life is based on the choices we make . Every gain is product of the brain , therefore those who use it prosper and those who don't perish . ITS THAT SIMPLE !!

Even when Christ was charged to pay his tax , he didnt miraculously raise money . Rather he asked peter to go and engage in the job he knew how to do which was fishing to gain the value of money . Many Nigerians are like peter of that time waiting for manner to drop from heaven and our professional pastors are cashing in on their ignorance BIG TIME !!

I see dat d whole bulk of intellects down here could not possibly cast a concrete vote on either d proposing or d oppositn to this thread.

44 percent in support
44 percent against and
10 percent none.


So, which shld i go wit

SHALOM!

POVERTY is a choice.

Everything in that happens/does not happen to us in our life is our choice.

I strongly object to the idea of happening in on a Preacher in the middle of his Teaching, and judging him based on one thing he said, that you took out-of-context to condemn him with.

That sort of Judgment put Yahshua on the Cross. We see it used all the time.

The Man of God speaks for the edification of Worshippers of God. If you do not worship God, you cannot understand Advanced Doctrine.

When a Preacher says something you do not understand, is the sensible thing to do not to ASK THE PREACHER what he meant?

I Teach things that require Diligence to understand. If you are not diligent, you can't get much of anything out of what I write.

The Gateway to all Power is TOTAL RECALL.

If you do not have TOTAL RECALL capability, you will not be able to advance significantly, Spiritually.

If you have Total Recall of your whole life, YOU WILL SEE HOW everything that ever happened to you in your life was DUE TO YOUR OWN CHOICES.

. DEUTERONOMY 30:19-20.