The Aaya, The Burger Flipper, and The Finance Bro

Why desperation is the fuel that drives our global economy

Desperate people make the best workers. From the outside, desperation may not sound like the most attractive quality in an employee, but if you take a closer look, distress can lead to unprecedented productivity levels. Desperate people are willing to take risks and put in long hours to achieve their goals. They are also more likely to be creative and resourceful, coming up with innovative solutions to complex problems.

Desperation is not something that anyone sets out to achieve. It’s not an end goal for anyone. However, desperation is something that happens to us when life gets hard. Desperation is the feeling of being trapped and not knowing what to do. Desperation is the feeling of being alone and helpless. Desperation is the feeling of being lost and not knowing where to turn. The truth is, we are all born into desperation, whether we realize it or not. Some of us are born into less desperate circumstances than others, but we are all desperate somehow. Desperation is a part of life. And it’s okay to admit that you’re desperate. Because admitting that you’re desperate is the first step to finding a way out of desperation.

I grew up middle class in India. One thing that every Indian middle-class family takes for granted is domestic help. This domestic help is usually a woman who helps with cooking, cleaning, childcare, and doing odd errands. She leaves her family, her children, and her home to come to somebody else’s home to take care of their household duties. In the part of India where I come from, these women are referred to as “Aayas.” Someone spilled milk; call the Aaya to clean up. The baby pooped; call the Aaya to clean it up. Need to run to the store to get something, get Aaya to do it. Families often delay payment to this Aaya and use her desperation to their benefit. They can pay less than the agreed-upon amount, and she has absolutely no power in this equation. How is this humble Aaya connected to a finance broker on Wall Street?

Well, you see, the Aaya’s master is a servant himself. It’s just that his desperation is a little more sophisticated than Aaya’s desperation.

He works as an offshore software developer for a tech company in the United States. He is desperate to buy a small apartment in the nice part of town and has ambitions to get a second-hand car. So there he is, working away at his computer for 15 hours a day. His back is killing him, his eyes are tired and strained, and his arteries are clogged from the unhealthy junk food he’s been eating. This crap never nourishes him, but it does give him enough dopamine to stay up for another hour. He’s bonded to his work, and it’s slowly breaking him down. His health is suffering, and he’s in danger of burning out completely. But he can’t stop because he has to keep working for his master. His employer uses desperation to squeeze away all his creative energy and potential.

At 4 AM the morning, he sends his final email of the day to his onsite counterpart. He has a quick jealous thought about his onsite counterpart’s fantastic life in the USA.

But what he doesn’t realize is that his onsite counterpart is a servant too. The onsite employee is brought to the US on a temporary visa so that his employer can exploit him. He can be underpaid and overworked without any consequence. The temporary onsite employee may even be required to work longer hours than his American counterparts. This is because labor laws do not protect the onsite employee in the same way they protect American workers. As a result, his employer treats him as little more than a disposable commodity.

The onsite worker is desperate to get a green card to live in the US permanently. So the employer uses his desperation to work him harder and longer hours without overtime pay. The worker knows that if he complains, he could be deported. So he suffers in silence.

Now this worker shuffles up to the bright neon lights of the McDonald’s, his body and soul both weighed down by the day’s work. All he wants is to numb the pain with some junk food, to forget about the endless hours spent toiling away at a job he hated. He tells himself that just this once, he deserves a treat.

He orders a large fries and a Big Mac from the smiling lady at the counter. He thinks to himself how easy her life must be. She’s a US citizen and never has to worry about being deported.

But the Mc Donald’s lady is a single mom who can barely afford to pay her rent. She does two minimum wage jobs to support herself and her child, but it’s still not enough. She’s always tired and stressed, and she can’t seem to catch a break. But she’s a fighter, and she’s determined to make a better life for herself and her child. Despite all the challenges she faces, she still finds ways to smile and enjoy life. Giant corporations use her desperation to their advantage. They know that she will have to show up to work or will risk losing her home and healthcare and be unable to put food on the table for her family.

Now let’s come to the Finance Bro. The term “Finance Bro” is commonly used to describe a young, white-collar professional working in the financial sector, typically on Wall Street. Finance Bros are usually known for their wealth, ambition, and sense of entitlement. They are also often viewed as unthinking and irresponsible, with a brash and arrogant attitude. Finance Bros have also been blamed for some of the financial problems that have beset the world recently.

Here we have a young Finance Bro sitting at his desk, surrounded by the trappings of success. His suit is expensive, his office is lavish, and his whole demeanor screams power and confidence. But deep down, he is a desperate man. His MBA cost him a fortune, and he is now buried in debt. His last few shorts didn’t go well, and his boss is putting immense pressure on him to perform. This stock pick is his last choice. If it doesn’t succeed, he is on the brink of suicide.

Each party in this interaction, right from the humble Aaya in India to the Finance Bro on Wall Street, is desperate. Desperation drives people to do things they would never do otherwise. Desperation makes people more willing to take risks. Desperation makes people more likely to be exploited. Desperation makes people more likely to accept sub-par conditions.

How can you escape this desperation trap?

So many of us are caught in a cycle of desperation. We work long hours to make ends meet, barely scraping by month after month. And the things we do manage to buy only serve to further fuel our consumerism, leading us right back into debt. It’s a vicious cycle that can be hard to break free from. But it is possible to break free from this cycle and take control of your finances. Start by cutting down on your consumerism. Invest wisely and work towards becoming financially independent. Once you’re no longer desperate, you’ll be much harder to control.

We are all trapped in a global economic system designed to keep us in debt and under control. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a way out, and once you find it, it’s your duty to spread the word and help others break free from this trap.

Always remember to have empathy, understanding, and feeling for others. Just because someone appears to be happy and successful on the outside doesn’t mean that they are. Everyone has their struggles and demons that they are fighting, even if they don’t show it. The next time you see someone who seems to have it all together, remember that appearances can be deceiving. You have no idea what that person may be going through.

When we see someone as just a number or an abstract concept, it’s easy to dismiss their struggles. But when we see them as human beings with feelings and dreams, we want to help them. We have to remember that everyone is fighting their own battles, and a simple act of kindness can go a long way.