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Five things you should never say if you don’t know what not having money actually looks like
From one privileged person to another.
I’ve never experienced a care-free life from a financial point of view. I was raised by a single mom who, more often than not, was working three jobs and was rarely home in order to keep both of us fed and well. Today, in my mid-thirties, I am a full-time freelance writer. I chose a career, or rather it chose me, that will most likely never provide financial security.
I’ve built a network of people around me from a wide range of cultural contexts and countries. But even if for me money has a universal meaning, I’ve noticed many misunderstandings and a flood of, sometimes hurtful, statements that some people addressed to me or others. Even if, to this day, I feel privileged that I have food on my table every day, that I can take care of my child, that I am healthy and pursuing my goals, the reactions and ignorance of many still stuns me.
Tonight, as my car failed to start yet again, while I was sipping my cappuccino, allowing it time to reset (it has a mind of its own), I thought about five such reactions and statements and why some should think twice before opening their mouths.