To understand what I'm ranting about, you will have to read/view this pictorial article on EyeOpening.info (it's really short):
Now for my rant...
My problem is with how this post is named (because it is simply not true!): “This Guy Started
with Nothing. What he had just 6 weeks
later is amazing.”
A.
A couple lines into the article it says: “With a
Thai friend’s guidance, his son-in-law’s masonry skills and a lot of work, the
team made progress quickly.”
a.
What part of “a Thai friend’s guidance” and “his
son-in-law’s masonry skills” are nothing? Clearly, that is something. Those are both
two very important things to have to build a wonderful house from scratch.
B.
The SECOND line of the article is: “When Steve
Areen thought about building his dream home, all he had to do was find $9,000
and a place to build.”
a.
He had to find $9,000! NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS! – That is ALSO not nothing. That is $9,000. It’s not like he built it out of found
materials. Sure, the next time I have
$9,000, I will move down to Thailand to build my wonder hut. Which brings me to my next point…
C.
What is he doing in Thailand anyway? I’m sure he is employed in some way –
otherwise, where did he get $9,000 to build his house. Also, he had to GET to Thailand – that must
have cost money as well, unless he fashioned a boat out of sticks and navigated
down, or walked (or, if he is a native of Thailand – he lives in Thailand! Materials & labour are sooooo much cheaper
down there. The rest of us who live in places with things called Labour Laws may have a harder time finding land and money to do the same.)
D.
I still think the house he built is super cool
and deserves the attention, but SERIOUSLY, the guy did not start with
NOTHING! He knew some people and had
some contacts and made it happen for cheap.
Still pretty cool, but not something the bum on the street corner can go
do.
E.
Also, who designed the thing? The article doesn’t mention that or how much
that cost… unless the dude is an architect (in which case, excellent education
is also not nothing – that is a very valuable something).
In short – this guy did not start out with NOTHING. It should be named "Look at the super cool house that this well-educated resourceful man with lots of cool contacts used his savings to build" (but I realize that may not be as catchy). Let's actually evaluate what it means to have nothing and start putting the proper value on the things we do have.
