Too Much Money, Too Soon Can Be A Bad Thing.

For all the young men out there, this article makes lots of sense. Read what Biko has to say on money, success and women as published in today’s Saturday Magazine.

By Jackson Biko.

I once stopped over at a convenient store in a petrol station in Westlands to pick breakfast after a night out.

It was midnight. Now, this particular petrol station does more than just sell fuel at night; it’s a meeting point of sorts, a place where the young (and some old) come to drink alcohol, listen to music from their cars and, quite often, engage in some light petting.

It’s mostly a bourgeois crowd, or those aspiring to this social class. On this particular night, I see this kid (he must have been 23) standing outside “his” car which was parked between other cars.

He was wobbling on his feet like a penguin, fumbling with his fly, trying to retrieve what lived therein and finally when he succeeded, he emitting a gush of urine on the wheels of the car he had stepped out of; a sleek BMW X5.

He was taking a bathroom break on the wheels of a BMW X5! That’s almost like taking a leak on a village elder; horrifyingly disrespectful and very perverse.

A bunch of girls seated inside egged him on by giggling profusely at this act. He stood there, wearing a drunken look on his mug, totally satisfied with this performance before the gallery of enchanted females.

Of course, the car obviously didn’t belong to him otherwise he would have accorded it a little more respect.

This midnight tableau was expressive in itself; a privileged young guy, a pack of giggly girls hanging on his coattail and gross social misconduct.

The typical recipe for something colourless. A friend of mine told me of a story involving these kinds of character where the young, privileged guy caught him staring at his date upon which the youth bought a whole bottle of whisky, walked over to my friend’s table and sat it before him.

“How about you stare at this instead buddy?” the guy said before walking back to his table. Of course, my friend opened the bottle with an eye still on the said date.

This kind of behaviour, when you think about it, all revolve around money and its influence. We all want to pursue the good life and money, yet when it’s finally handed to us, it turns us into people who are hard to like.

Ironically, the tenets of success are constantly drummed into us; hard-work, persistence, education and passion but we are hardly schooled on how to handle this success when it comes in potfuls.

There has been a lot of debate after the very unfortunate demise of the late uber-marathoner, Samuel Wanjiru, that and a whole load of crass – but witty jokes revolving around the events that led to his death.

A whole bunch of middleclass armchair pundits were quick to point to the lack of education, as the cause of his death. All that money without any proper education, they said, would eventually be his undoing.

Granted, money makes everything spin but the late sportsman’s case is not even about money because granted, give any loud-mouthed street-savvy guy with a degree something like Sh300M and watch how they spin out of control.

I know for sure, I would not be the same; it would be the greatest curse on me because my support structure is only as strong as a reed in a storm.

I’m convinced that education has very little to do with grounding. I know a guy in my village who spends his time shoveling sand from the river for a pittance.

He has a doctorate degree but has never been able to keep a job (or a woman) because he’s as dysfunctional as they come.

I also know countless guys who have diplomas but are more sober than judges. And some who are drunks and misfits.

Education, I’m convinced only gets you an interview but not much grounding. As young men, our greatest worry should be our dreams coming true too soon, in running into money when our time is not ready because we can’t handle it.

Jackson Biko writes for the Saturday Nation Magazine. Your comments below.

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