The Curse Of The Middle Class by Mobolaji Atolagbe

In every society, there is a social stratification system that might have been unconsciously or legally put in place. The popular categories are the lower class, middle class, and the upper class.

Let me break down the classes.
The upper class is 1% of the 1% of society. Most of them are old money and their surnames ring a bell.

The Folawuyo’s, Dantata family, The Adelekes, The…. you can include any family name that you have heard since you were little and still hear now when it comes to business and wealth.

These folks do not depend on salaries but have multiple investments in various sectors. It almost feels like the rise and fall of the economy does not affect them. In fact, it seems like they are the economy itself.

They live the life of luxury and are in the news for multi-billion dollar deals or an expensive event that the whole world except you was invited to (Here, think about Dangotes’ daughter’s wedding).

Then there are the people that are neither poor nor rich. These are the middle class.

They can afford the basic stuff: have a good rented apartment, one or 2 working vehicles, send their children to good schools within the country and they dress well. These group either work in companies that provide good salaries or they run modest businesses that need their daily attention.

They need to save before they can undertake any ‘major’ project. They save to buy a car, build their house or buy a luxury item. They do not have extra cash to splurge but they live a good life.

The middle class can be broken down to the upper middle class and the lower middle class. The distinction of the middle classes is not necessary for the sake of this article.

With the proper definition of the first two castes, I will not bore you with the explanation of the lower class. For the sake of proper identification in this article, just imagine the population beneath the middle class that struggles to survive on a daily basis for the very basic requirements.

“Desire and hunger are two great emotions that can be properly harnessed to achieve the impossible” — Mobolaji Atolagbe

With proper observation of the way things have worked in my environment, I have noticed 2 ‘truths’

Someone can move to any of the classes easily if there is enough drive, desire and preparation and vision. (Or lack of any of the 4)
Although it is difficult to move from any of the classes, It is easier for a member of the lower class to move up to be an upper-class citizen than for a middle-class person to make this move.
These two points spurred me to write this piece.

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett

Source: http://www.24hoursreporter.com/2018/11/23/the-curse-of-the-middle-class-by-mobolaji-atolagbe/

The different between the upper class and lower class is very wide