Do you have any idea how many are poor in the Philippines?
74.4% of Filipino families belong in the lower class (income bracket) or about 14 Million Families are generally, poor.
In fact, according to a study conducted by Virola, et. al of the National Statistical Coordination Board, if your family’s combined income is 328,000/ year or 27,333/month, it means you are considered poor or you belong in the lower class.
25.2% are middle class families, or those earning above 328,000 per year.
0.1% are ultra rich or the upper class earning more than 4 Million per year.
Philippines is known to be a poor country, but the people living in the Philippines are also known for being one of the happiest people on earth. According to Gallup’s 41st Annual Global End of Year Survey shows the Philippines ranking 3rd happiest country in the world, with a net score of +84 in the survey done during the first quarter of 2018.
According to the survey, 86 percent of Filipinos said they were happy, 2 percent unhappy, and 10 percent were neutral, resulting in a net score of +84.
Is that something beautiful in the midst of poverty? How can we really see the beauty in poverty?
I believe, the financial challenges of the poor are not there to make people suffer. The struggles are there to make the people learn and bear fruits from those experiences.
The 5 fruits of poverty could be beautiful, let me enumerate it to you:
1. Hope – the ability to see beyond what is in front of you, a better future, perhaps or a better food on the table, is what we call Hope.
This is one of the reasons why Filipinos smile in the midst of poverty. Because they are not only seeing what is in front of them, they are seeing beyond their present situation, because they have hope.
2. Gratitude – focusing on what you presently have and being grateful for whatever it is, is a very powerful trait. It’s a fruit that can give you contentment in whatever situation you are in.
3. Resilience – Filipino resilience, is almost always portrayed as a simple Filipino smiling or laughing while half-submerged in floodwaters. This portrait of the indomitable Filipino spirit can be seen everywhere: in the news, in textbooks and on the internet. The Filipino people are known to smile and laugh in the face of life’s challenges.
In fact, according to a study, Filipinos have high AQ – Adversity Quotient.
Adversity Quotient (AQ) is the ability to surmount life’s adversities, whether academic, career or personal-social in nature.
In contrast to many progressive countries, they have very low Adversity Quotient (AQ) where suicide is very high in the face of lesser adversity.
Poverty bears the fruit of Resilience.
4. Creativity – in the measurement of Grit Gauge of Filipinos, we scored high on Growth and instinct.
It means Filipinos can complete a goal through innovation and creativity. Filipinos have the capacity to pursue the right goals through strategic planning or insightfulness.
We’ve seen a lot of Filipino creativity and ingenuity at work even with lack of resources.
5. Love – the very struggle of the poor to earn to be able to provide for their families and loved ones is teaching Filipinos on how to love unconditionally. It’s loving without asking for anything in return. Love endures all, as they say, even poverty. OFWs around the world can attest to that. They exist because of Love for Family.
Poverty could be beautiful if only you can be able to see it with a set of eyes that is focused on possibilities and is willing to learn. Poverty can be ugly and hopeless if you only focus on the suffering and what is wrong in it and you do nothing about it.
The ability to see beauty in the face of poverty means you already come into a level where you have a high level of awareness of yourself and your environment.
Once you see this beauty, then you are now ready to get over poverty. And to see beauty in every aspect of your life, not only in poverty , is in itself a beautiful trait.
I hope you can now already see the beauty Catriona is telling the Universe about. The beauty in spite of.
For your Financial Health,
Read more:
- 6 Bad Habits That Will Keep You POOR – Forever #PoorEver
- Top 14 Illnesses of a Financially Sick Filipino
- Mandatory Life Insurance for all Filipinos
- The Filipino Retirement Scenario, Find Out Where will you Belong in the Future
- Cost of Getting Seriously Sick in the Philippines
Source:
https://medium.com/the-looking-glass/deciphering-the-filipino-resiliency-with-aq-and-grit-e20aeec91df7
Latest posts by Pinky De Leon-Intal, MD, RFC (see all)
- Say Goodbye to Chronic Lifestyle Diseases (Hypertension, Diabetes, Cancer, Gout, etc.) with Right Food and Right Water - 23 May, 2023
- Embracing Superpowers: A Mom’s Journey as a Doctor, Professor, and Financial Consultant - 19 May, 2023
- Celebrating the Power of Women: Honored by Philippine Daily Inquirer - 17 May, 2023
