A Lesson on Contentment from an Uber Ride

Sometime in December 2022, I booked a ride, and the guy who picked me up was from Bangladesh. I usually love to engage in chit chat whenever I hail a cab, but this particular guy was an extremely pleasant fellow.

He was delighted to know I am Nigerian, and we discussed football, culture, food, and travel. We discussed parenting also, and he taught me about ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’, a new addition to my lexicon, which I will write about at a later date.

I observed that he was very happy doing his job. He had a glow on his face as he spoke. He radiated an inner satisfaction that was not difficult to see.

When we were almost at my destination, he told me that would be his last ride for the day and he was going to meet his family. I checked the time, and it was just a few minutes after noon. I asked why he was stopping work at that time and his response is the reason for this post.

He told me that he had worked enough for the day and had earned enough to make his family afford a decent meal. When I queried him a bit further, he said he didn’t want too much money. That had never been his aspiration. As long as his family can eat well and he can send his kids to school, he’s fine. 

‘After I have worked so hard, when will I really begin to enjoy what I have worked for?’ he asked rhetorically. ‘I don’t want to work so hard to the extent that I damage my health and then lose all I have worked for. I am very fine with just being okay,’ he further said. 

As if adding a clincher, he said, ‘How much money is enough?’ My Bangladeshi friend had transformed before my eyes. I could see a man who was so wealthy in contentment that other riches paled into insignificance. Contentment is the only real wealth, according to Alfred Nobel.

As he dropped me off at my destination, I remembered the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:24: ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also, I saw, that it was from the hand of God.’ 

Contentment is the greatest blessing anyone can have—not a Ferrari and not a big house. My life will not be defined by what I have or do not have. Share on X

There will never be an end to cravings or desires. Understanding that and living in its reality is one guarantee for happiness. According to Socrates, ‘He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” 

I made up my mind that henceforth, I will consciously create room for what truly matters to me. I will focus on enjoying what I have and not bother about what I don’t have. My life will not be defined by what I have or do not have. I am going to be me and not be in competition with anyone. 

Contentment is the greatest blessing anyone can have—not a Ferrari and not a big house.

I gave my Bangladeshi friend a 5-star rating.