The talk of the Grammys
was Tracy Chapman’s return
and her shared performance
of Fast Car.
Fast Car is an emotional song
for me
because it is the only song
I know
that
clearly talks about the choice
between helping the people we love
and getting out of poverty.
Getting out of poverty
usually involves a stretch of time
where we can’t contribute financially
to our desperately poor loved ones’ situation.
In my case,
I didn’t send money home
for four years
while I was at university.
That meant my family didn’t have
electricity
for a while.
That meant my family sourced
the little food they ate
from food banks.
Taking away my minimum wage earnings
HURT them.
Temporarily.
We were fortunate.
My family survived the ordeal.
Our collective gamble paid off.
I got out of poverty
and I was able to take my immediate family
out of poverty also.
But it WAS a choice.
And I still feel guilty about it.
If you’re making that choice
right now,
maybe the choice
is between
sending money
to parents
and
building a business,
know that many of us
realize it is a difficult choice
to make.
And know, for some of us,
taking the risk
to get out of poverty
paid off.