Poverty is a real issue, just that a fair number of us have been lucky enough to not encounter the worst of it. However, there are more people than we realise who actually have faced or are facing dire situations. Twitter user Abeden Mung recently started a thread asking netizens to share the “poorest” moments they had.

Kongsikan pengalaman hidup yang paling ‘miskin’ korang pernah hadap.

— Abeden Mung 📸 (@tkdnxv) September 1, 2019

With over 8, 300 retweets and counting, the tweet has garnered plenty of attention. The replies to the thread are mostly heartbreaking, with a nice balance of encouragement and positivity thrown in by other netizens. Twitter user @RufyAhmad said his experience was when he had to live in his car for 2-3 months, surviving on white bread with jam and tap water. To keep himself going, he wisely told himself to be grateful because other people may not even have bread to eat. Sound advice, and what a great mentality to have in such difficult times,

Makan roti putih bedal strawberry jam dekat 7e (Dah mintak dengan cashier) Nasib baik tap water bersih. More than 2-3 month to survive. Live in the car. Lol 😂😂 motivation utk telan tu, dalam kepala otak “org lain roti pun mungkin tak de” the best memory.

— RufyAhmad (@RufyAhmad) September 2, 2019

Another heartwrenching reply is from Twitter user @SyazanMI, who recalled the time she was taking her degree. Together with her housemates, they lived on a simple diet of rice and plain soup. Occasionally, they would have sambal belacan or ikan pekasam, a type of fermented fish from Sabah. She adds that she was one of the blessed ones whose parents could afford to give her money for expenditures, whereas some of the roommates had to rely on PTPTN or JPA scholarships. She would then use the money she had to buy provisions for her and her roommates, doing her part to ensure no one would go hungry. Generosity is rare, but a gem of a person like this is even more difficult to find.

Rasanya zaman degree yang betul-betul opened my eyes, bukan semua kawan aku datang dari privileged families. Bukan semua mampu untuk dapatkan makanan yang seimbang dan sihat sehari sekurang-kurangnya sekali.

— The Comedian (@SyazanaMI) September 3, 2019

Life will be filled with ups and downs, but if we have the right mindset, good people, and plenty of perseverance, nothing is too difficult to work through, At the end of the day, these experiences are what shapes us to be the people we are today, and for that we should be grateful.

What are some struggles you have managed to overcome?