Essay:

People expect to be prosperous without having to go through arduous work or effort. No matter how rich a person is, he will not appreciate the value of his belongings unless he has gone through poverty. Without a doubt, people take it for granted that they will live as well as their parents and therefore, not learning the value of the money nor what they own. I believe poverty or scarcity is necessary to live a meaningful life.

Having lived in Turkey, I was able to see both prospects of the rich and the poor. It was evident that the rich spent more freely whereas the poor conserved. Nevertheless, the poor spent more on what was actually necessary while the rich wasted their Lira's. I thought it would have been more of an economic problem, but the more I look into it, the more it seems people are less aware of the value of finance. Of course, people who have gone through poverty conserve and spend on only necessities, but there is a great lesson to be learned: spending does not tell you who you are.

It is also a common mistake for people to believe that spending more means better, wealthier, and even superior person compared to those who cannot. Superiority, intelligence, or wealth does not come from money but rather comes from people who are less ignorant but more knowledgeable. Ignorance basically comes from people who are less aware of the fact that money is, nevertheless, hard to gain and easy to spend. Due to that mindset, people who are oblivious to the importance and the meaning of wealth are bound to be careless in spending.

However, does affluence necessarily mean the individual is less informed or does not know the value of wealth? Although there are many people who are more educated and, of course, informed about their well-being, the fact that many have a set mind that there is always a constant flow of income into the household changes their set of minds. They literally become the target for producers as the consumers do not hesitate as much as long as the merchandise is intriguing.

On the other hand, people below the average income, doing their best to live off their daily profits value their belongings, wealth a lot more. The poor are more determined to escape the on-going vicious cycle of wealth where the "rich becomes richer and poor becomes poorer" and become prosperous, but the fact that they have experienced the arduous lifestyle of the poverty-stricken world, they are more likely to value every single penny a lot more compared to the rich. Learning to spend in a reasonable manner and also knowing the meaning of each object purchased, each penny used, and each penny earned can lead to a more meaningful life.

Despite the fact that anyone can actually learn to live a meaningful life, I believe that just going through financial hardship gives the person another dimension of respect towards their wealth. Furthermore, destitution allows people to have a better perspective of life, appreciating what they have but pursuing what they do not have. This is what I truly believe in having a meaningful life: giving a value to everything you have earned and spent.