I am a martial law baby and have shouted my share of chants at rallies and demonstrations as a student, but what I know of Crispin Beltran are only what I read in the papers.
Today I find myself deep in thought at the life of the lawmaker who fell yesterday to his death while repairing his roof, with merely P50,000 to his name and two barong tagalog, a pair of eyeglasses, cabinet shelves and t-shirts listed as personal assets.
Was Crispin Beltran poor? What does it mean to be poor?
There are times in life when you find yourself and your whole value system challenged by a thought, an act, a single event. Ka Bel’s death challenged what I know about being poor. In personal finance, we talk endlessly about being frugal and saving coins in a jar. We hem and haw about where to put our P20,000 windfall and whether we can grow that into P1 million … eventually ☺. We debate with ourselves whether the rollercoaster ride in the stock market is worth the headaches.
At the end of the day, is it just about how much we make and how much we keep? Or is it about how we live our lives, using whatever we have?
I came from a poor family but strangely enough, I didn’t feel poor until I became a moody teenager. I know of another person who, because of poverty, hoarded food in her cupboards even as a successful businesswoman because she was scared of the painful pangs of hunger. Those who had gone through much financial suffering are marked by that experience for life. But take a look at this paragraph in The Philippine Daily Inquirer article on Ka Beltran:
“Despite millions of pesos available to him as a lawmaker, Beltran lived a simple life.”
We all know about “those millions”. In my mind, choosing to be poor that way is noble. In our lives, we will probably come across those kinds of crossroads. Hopefully when it’s my turn, I will have the moral courage to take the path he chose.
There are other kinds of choices that can help us live fully and nobly while reducing the chances of suffering financially. The choice to be responsible with debt. To live simply and save more grandiosely. To delay gratification. To check this blog from time to time. (heh)
Kidding aside, at the end of the day, better money management can also help us do more, serve more, laugh more, and spend more time with family and friends.
I do not know everything about Ka Beltran and his life. But assuming everything that was written about him in the end are true, then he knows something about being poor and being rich that many in this world don’t. I’m inclined to think his was the better choice.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Salve, you have so eloquently put into words my exact sentiments and musings on ka bel’s life and passing. May I say that this post is one of your best written posts I’ve read to date.This is a blog on a very material topic -money. But this post gave us something else, a glimpse into one’s soul.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
i just finished reading the news…… he have 11 children? and they all went to college? how do you support 11 children going to school by being poor? how much will you have to spend for supporting 11 children? how much should be your take home pay then? hhmmmm….. kaya ba ng poor yan? how do you define and where is the cut-off value to be classified “poor”?
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I think the right word here is balance. As they say too much of anything is poison. Being poor has its own disadvantage. How can you help others when you cannot give the basic things to your own family and carry the problems of the whole country.
On the other hand, in pursuit of power and wealth at the expense of other people, like other politicians who send tax payers money for there personal use is also not good.
But I think in the end its between you and your conscience on how do you evaluate your action.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I may disagree with his leftist leanings but you gotta admire a man who lived and died with his principles intact.
As for dying poor, it was his choice. He had the resources within his reach and chose to live frugally instead.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
this comes down to needs and wants…… some people kill for power…. others lust for cash….. still others craved for intelligence and wisdom….
and to live during these times….. to not have cash, brings a lot of inconvenience …. better to have than not to have…… better to accumulate legally than illegally….. moral courage in the absence of wants….. such a subtle state of grace, everybody should aspire