DO YOU FEEL PRIVILEGED? Take a minute to think about that before you read on...
Are you really thinking?
Keep thinking...
How many of you have a job that earns more than required to live on? I'm not talking about after you pay your three car payments, boat loan, three annual vacations, and $500 monthly restaurant budget. I mean after you pay for the necessities (food, water, shelter, clothing, basic transportation, health care, etc). Let me remind you that if this is you, then you are among the richest people in the entire world. Do you have a college or university degree? If so, you are among the staggering 2% of the world's population fortunate enough to obtain one. Do you own a car? Join the 12% who can respond "yes" to that question. Do you have access to clean drinking water? Again, you are part of the elite 15%. Do you get on the internet with any regularity? Wow, once again, join the 16% who in the world who do.
Let me ask you again: do you feel privileged? If so, what are you doing with your privileges? If you can't think of at least a few things that you are doing with them to help others, then you are only contributing to the 98% of the world who do not obtain a college degree, the 88% who do not own a car, the 85% who do not have access to clean drinking water, 30% who suffer from malnutrition, 40% who do not have adequate sanitation, and 31% who do not have electricity.
With privilege comes responsibility. How much better would the world be if all of us who live a privileged life would do just a little more to help those who do not? Where can you make a difference? When will you start?
Stats taken from Daniel G. Groody's book titled "Globalization, Spirituality, and Justice"
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I couldn't agree more that we all have SO many privileges that we take for granted every single day and I appreciate you making it so undeniably clear. When I was reading this entry I couldn't help but ask myself, what is a privilege, I mean, REALLY? As a person living among the majority, i.e, those the entire world considers “underprivileged”, I know so many who would count themselves most privileged if they could feed their children just one meal today. Or many who, if you or I would just stop by their home (unworthy of being called a reasonable human living space) for a visit, in the most sincere and pure joy, they would consider it a great privilege to offer you their last cup of tea with their last teaspoon of sugar, even if it meant they would go hungry the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteIf privilege is a special right, advantage, or rare opportunity, the “underprivileged” sure know how to recognize their privileges! I guess what it comes down to is that it’s not the privileges we have that are important, but that we recognize them and what we do with them, as you are pointing out. I think in a sense, we are all privileged because God has entrusted something to all of us and whatever it is, it is truly a privilege because He has uniquely and individually entrusted it only to me or to you and to no one else. So I guess the real question is, are we doing what He wants us to do with the privileges He has given us? Whether it's a college degree, a car, more food than we need, our time, our strength, or our last cup of tea.