Restraint as an Investment in Nature

 “Frugality is the root of wealth.” That proverb is often introduced to us as a reminder to live simply and avoid spending money on unnecessary things. The idea is that, later in life, the money we save can help improve our standing in society. Ironically, once a significant amount of money has finally been saved, global inflation may occur and the value of that money declines. Instead of raising our status, the money we have accumulated ends up being spent just to cover everyday needs.

The argument above is usually put forward by those who call themselves financial advisors or financial experts. You may have heard it as well. They often offer alternatives to make your money more productive under the motto “let your money work for you.” In other words, a person does not have to work tirelessly to grow their capital. Instead, they can invest it by buying shares in a company, lending money to a business in return for the principal plus interest, or even lending money through online loan schemes.

Thanks to growing financial literacy, small and medium capital owners generally understand that instant results are a myth. Patience is required if they want to earn profits, because opportunities that seem too good to be true are often traps set by financial predators. Yet patience alone is not a powerful weapon for keeping inflation at bay.

As a result, whatever returns are generated from those investment schemes gradually lose value. Investors must practice extraordinary frugality in order to reinvest their capital, otherwise that capital will be eaten away by their own personal expenses. The increasing weight of these challenges pushes investors to search for alternative ways to keep their capital growing.

Illustration: Waringin Branjang Temple, Blitar

Indigenous Beliefs as Investment Capital

Beyond the frequent news about armed conflict and welfare problems, Nigeria is also a region of the world where around 500 local languages are still actively used across its 36 states. Among its many communities are the Maguzawa people of the Hausa ethnic group who live in Kano State in northern Nigeria. They remain determined to maintain a way of life that stays balanced with nature, despite growing challenges from day to day.

According to Maguzawa Indigenous Belief, certain wild animals, such as pythons, are regarded as manifestations of their ancestors and are therefore forbidden to be hunted or killed. Their reverence for forests as a source of food is expressed through prohibitions against building settlements or opening farmland in areas considered sacred. Before fishing in the river, offerings are made as a reminder to limit what they take from it, including its use for daily needs.

At first glance, these customs may seem simple. In reality, they reflect a deep belief in the future, grounded in present actions. The Maguzawa do not need to predict what fate will bring in the coming days, because the results of caring for something today will naturally grow into something tomorrow. Their indigenous belief guide them toward a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature, sustained by a willingness to “sacrifice” short-term pleasure for tangible results in the future. In this sense, indigenous belief functions as a form of capital whose value remains steady regardless of circumstances, even as inflation rises and falls elsewhere. 

Sacrifice That Produces Results

Those who succeed as investors do not achieve success merely because they possess large amounts of capital or sharp instincts for interpreting economic fluctuations. As in many other fields, success comes through a willingness to sacrifice. This is not blind sacrifice, of course, but sacrifice made after careful observation of the results produced by various experiments.

The founders of belief systems from many parts of the world also built their foundations through similar “experiments.” Their teachings were shaped by real events and by solutions that proved effective in dealing with particular situations, not by mysterious voices like those portrayed in horror films. They did not need to wait long to understand the consequences of restraining themselves from something as simple as urinating in the river, for example, because the same river was used as a source of drinking water.

Nor did they need to guess what would happen if certain types of trees were not cut down, or if forests were not completely cleared, in accordance with the rules of their belief systems. In the next dry season or rainy season, drought or flash floods would appear as the consequences of violating those rules. (dswas).