The more privilege we have, the less time we need to spend thinking about things that occupy the bandwidth of others.
If we have money, we don’t have to worry about our decisions impacting our financial security.
If we have a developed country’s passport, we don’t have to worry about access to job opportunities/immigration related insecurities and/or travel.
If we have good health, we don’t have to worry about getting through the day without pain.
This privilege is often driven by the ovarian lottery. But, it is also a function of the privilege we’ve accumulated over time – thanks to luck and to a lesser extent – mindset and hard work.
Regardless of the source of our privilege, this gets to why privilege needs to come with humility and responsibility. As we accumulate privilege in our life, it becomes harder to understand and truly empathize with the struggles of others. We don’t get it. Let’s start with acknowledging that.
Next, let’s make all this extra bandwidth that comes from not having to worry about the basics count.
