Stay Hungry and Prosper Part I : What the F*&%! does that really mean anyway?
By Topango Stargazer
1 minute read
Finding oneself can be a challenging task particularly for those of us that do or did not have a stable upbringing or environment.
*****Trigger Warning: This article will discuss a specific person’s experiences with trauma as a result of child abuse .
By now you’ve all probably seen, heard, or maybe even spoken the slogan “Stay Hungry and Prosper”. Coined by yours truly, people have asked me if this was some bs slogan click bait I whipped up or if there is actual personal meaning to my words.
In full transparency, this slogan is something I’ve had the unfortunate (or maybe fortunate) experience of living. I know everyone is likely aware of the cliché sales executive pitching commission-based employment. That executive is always looking for a sales team of people who are hungry. But this isn’t the kind of hunger I’m referring too. At least not in its’ entirety.
*****Let me explain, however I should preface this next part with a trigger warning. When I was a child, my mother would often punish my brothers and I with the use of withholding food and denying us the opportunity to eat for periods of a week or more. She justified her actions with reference to biblical fasting and prayer to rid us of our foolish behavior.
As adults most of us have likely tried intermittent fasting for personal health and wellness optimization. Even if I hadn’t lived through this, I would never condone this abusive use of corrective action for anyone much less children for Gdsake. However even as a child, as I faced the pains of hunger; I knew my mother didn’t have the money as a single parent to feed the four of us all the time. I can imagine she likely felt a little better about herself when allowing her thoughts to justify in her mind that we did something to deserve this type of punishment.
I recall my brothers and I would do anything we could to satisfy our hunger. For ourselves and each other depending on who was being punished. This would include smuggling handfuls of food to each other that we stole from the kitchen …in our own home. Admittedly, I cry to myself sometimes when I think about my 4-year-old brother bringing me little bare handfuls of oatmeal at 8pm at night…thinking of me. I remember this pushed me to wake up early on school days, only to skip school to shovel sidewalks and driveways after a fresh snowfall. I would take the money earned at the end of the day and buy groceries, a small toy for my brothers, and return home with the remaining money for my mother. By the 5th grade I was on the truancy officers list. By the 7th grade I was being homeschooled while working 30 hours a week
Tough and unfair memories yes, however what the pangs of hunger offered me as a child was the ability to learn self-sacrifice and care for others in the face of adversity. Staying hungry to result in prosperity does not always mean financial wealth or worse greed in any form. May we all consider remembering the pangs of hunger to prosperity for a life well lived for ourselves and those we love.
Love,
Topango
I’m all ears to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and tell me whether you agree or disagree and why.