Here is a guy named Phyllis. All students in finance studying options have heard about the guy. According to finance historians, he invented options as first recorded in the books.
According to Aristotle, the guy was a philosopher doing what all philosophers do: think and write or speak. Phyllis family was very much disappointed in him as spending his beautiful mind thinking about abstract and stupid ideas instead of making money and living an aristocratic life.
Insults after insultes pissed off Phyllis who wanted to give his family a lesson. He decided to make a lot of money.
Long before the olive got reap, while the season of olive oil was dead, Phyllis went around town to rent all olive pressing machines for a few months paying the owners money for idle machines. Of course he paid little because it was the dead season.
People saw again in the act of Phyllis another stupidness only philosophers are endowed with. Remember we are 400bce.
Phyllis was mocked.
Well until the olive harvest and pressing period kicked in, when farmers discovered that the only person who had olive machines to rent in town was Phyllis.
He made a lot of money in the process and went back to philosophy financially independent.
Four years ago, a guy from Togo who gave $50 for a campaign I made to sustain my activism website siliconafrica, was turned off by a post I made about miscegenation and attacked me with insults including ‘donation queen’, ‘welfare activist’, etc. He is a panafricanist who takes pride in sleeping only with rich white girls and showing off about it.
That was very much a deep insult to me. Before I turned activists i was working in Paris taking home every month net of tax 5000€ + a lot expatriate benefits.
During my 10 years of activism, the total amount of donations I received was not even close to one month of my previous salary. And here I was getting insulted for $50 donation.
I published more than 500 quality content during the first 8 years of my activism. All available for free. A single article I write for an outlet like the Guardian would bring in about £500, and in some cases royalties from distribution I continue to receive every year. A university in Japan is paying me yearly royalty for using my content in their course and entry examinations.
And here we are, with some who gave me donations thinking that I owe them something, not that they are paying for the benefits they receive from my work.
That was deeply hurting.
My biggest assets is my brain. I can literally print money with it on wish. That’s what exactly I decided to do.
Nowadays I earn more than when I was working in Europe while working less than 12 hours a week.
People who love my work still send me gift, and call me to thank me for my work impact in their life. Some of my best supporters are not Africans.
All those who have contributed in the past to my work and feel that I owe them something, nowadays have bad feelings toward me and hate me, could write to me to be reimbursed. Here is my email: linkcrafter@gmail.com
I want time to do philosophy and canoeing. I still do work with great friends and companies on things I’m good at.
Insults are hurtful, but we all need its blessing to awaken and honor our dignity.