HOW MUCH CAN ONE GIVE TO FRIENDS & RELATIONS AT THESE HARD TIMES?

Chief Anayo Nwosu

Chief Anayo Nwosu

One of the side effects of the prevailing economic situation is the ordeal of the middle and high income people who are saddled with how to manage their relations’ justifiable demands for money to feed or as a working capital to restart their businesses or even to sustain their lives of freebies.

Many cheerful givers who have been giving since COVID-19 lockdown have given so much that many have already exhausted their savings. Any further attempt to “give” would mean to reduce themselves to the conditions of those that depend on them.

In practical terms, we are approaching a point when those who have been funding others are themselves now in need to be funded because they have been giving ceaselessly from their rock-bottom savings. We are already is getting to a point when brothers and sisters would join cousins, distant relatives to tag the only financial iroko in their family a wicked fellow because the guy has refused to continue giving.

How does the natural giver cope at this time? The following might help:

(I) Set aside a monthly budget for “giving” to friends and relatives;

(II) Give only a fraction of any request as you cannot afford to exhaust your "giving budget" on one or two persons;

(III) Moderate your lifestyle to prove even to the person asking for help that you too need help or that times have changed;

(IV) Reduce presence at public events to reduce interface with those who ordinarily wouldn’t ask but do so because they see you;

(V) If you are a sinner, you could fake phone calls to friends asking for money while the person who has come to ask for money listens. That's before he or she opens the topic.

It is instructive to note that anyone who had been supporting his friends and relatives would never be appreciated at this time. It is going to be worse. Your wife or husband would be accused of blocking you from giving help. It is a cross someone must carry.

Note that some disappointed individuals who you didn't or couldn't help would normally feel deflated and hurt; some of them would therefore want to deal with you somehow. Few of the wicked ones would report you to a native doctor or dibịa to ensure that a bone sticks to your throat as you eat that your meat.

There is no hiding place now for anyone that has a paying job or is making sales. You must help the growing number of needy friends and relatives. You either share your income or you would be made to spend it on those that will provide you with physical or spiritual security.

But one must be wise while solving other people’s financial problems because if you allow yourself to be pulled down by those who are already down, that would be a double jeopardy.

The painful part of the whole matter is that none of those who would pull you down can help you come up. They would even laugh at you when you crash. But if you have and refuse to share or help, God will punish you. So, it boils down to application of wisdom.

Nsogbu dị kwa! meaning that Wahala dey!

By

Anayo Nwosu