POVERTY IS A STATE OF MIND

You’re not truly poor if your dreams still shine,
You'll break the chains, it's all in the mind.

[SITUATION:]

{Raj: Humble, upper-middle-class ; Aarav: Wealthy, upper-class}

Raj: Hey, you’re still here?

Aarav: Yeah. Just didn’t feel like going home yet.

Raj: Same. I stay back sometimes. It's quieter. Feels like I can hear myself think.

Aarav: You always seem to have it together, Raj. Like you know where you’re going.

Raj: Not really. But I know where I want to go... that helps. You know what I want to do, become a big artist and inspire others by my paintings.

Aarav: That’s all good, but I don’t even know what I want. I have everything, but it feels like nothing fits. And, with of all of this study piling up and the pressure of inheriting my dad’s company, I feel like I just need some time to relax, and this is the best way.

Raj: Temporary pleasure. You ever seen a lantern and a lamp in the same room?

Aarav: A what?

Raj: A lantern, old and simple, burns slowly. A lamp, bright and fancy, shines quick. But when the power’s gone, it’s the lantern that stays lit.

Aarav: So... you're the lantern?

Raj: Maybe... we all are, if we let ourselves be.

 

[ESSAY:]

What does it really mean to be poor? Is it just about not having money? Or is it something deeper, something we carry inside our minds, maybe even without knowing?

Most of the time, we think of poverty as torn clothes or empty wallets, right? And yes, that’s one kind of poverty. But there’s another kind too, one that hides behind expensive shoes and bright city lights. The kind where a person has everything, yet still feels like they’re not enough. That’s the poverty no one talks about. The inside kind. 

I remember this moment clearly. One quiet afternoon, I stayed back in the school library. The light from the windows was soft, and it felt like the world had finally slowed down. My friend Ishaan came and sat across from me. He’s not the kind of guy who talks too much, but there’s a calmness about him that makes you listen when he does.

He didn’t have the latest stuff, no fancy phone or new shoes, and his lunch was always the same: rice and pulses. But he never seemed to care. He looked content. I asked him, “Don’t you ever wish you had more?” He smiled a little and pointed at the old lamp on the librarian’s desk. “Everyone wants to be the brightest light in the room,” he said. “But when there’s a power out, it’s the small, steady flame that matters.” I don’t think I could ever forget that.

That one line flipped something in my mind. It made me think, maybe being rich isn’t about what’s in your pocket, but what’s in your mind. Maybe it’s about having purpose, belief, and the strength to keep going even when things aren’t easy. I mean, doesn’t every rich person need to have a calculated mind. Like, if you give several riches to a poor person, he would lose it in a day, faster than I can say ‘Hey!’. But, if you give a rich mindset to that person, he will grow from even a single coin, tenfold.

The world tells us we need more. More stuff, more likes, more shine. But if we keep chasing things we don’t have, how will we ever appreciate what we already do? Some people live in small homes but carry big dreams. They walk barefoot but stand tall with hope. And some people? They’ve got the best gadgets, but no direction. So really, who's richer?

There’s a quote I love: Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. Some of the biggest ideas came from the smallest rooms. Some of the strongest people started out with nothing but a reason to keep going.And that’s what makes all the difference, mindset.

We all face different situations. Not everyone gets the same starting point. But your thinking, your attitude, that’s something no one can take from you. If you believe in something, if you hold on to even a little hope, you're already richer than you think.

So next time someone says, “He’s poor,” maybe ask, poor in what? In money, or in motivation? Does she need cash, or just a little courage? Ishaan and Raj were kinda right. Maybe we’re all like lanterns. Maybe we’re not meant to blind the world with brightness, but to glow gently through the dark.

And when the lights go out, the noise, the pressure, the impossible standards will dampen but, the ones with steady hearts and strong minds will still shine. Because poverty? It’s not always outside. Sometimes, it’s just a shadow we forget to look past.

Thank you.