Privilege

If we think about it, what does privilege really mean?
Too often, I believe, people think of privilege only in terms of money and the things that money can buy. To be privileged is to live in a comfortable home, have enough good food to eat, wear nice clothes, sleep in a clean bed that is cool enough in summer and warm enough in winter, and all of that is fine, as far as it goes. BUT is it the essence of what it means to be privileged? I think not.


If life is what we make it, if we ourselves take up the challenge of creating the lives we want, then it seems clear to me that the essence of privilege has to do with having the widest possible array of options. HOWEVER, economic security and material comfort are not the only things these people are deprived of; they are often deprived of CHOICE, and if you think about it, a lack of options is every bit as cruel as any other lack. Hunger and thirst can be satisfied from day to day. BUT a frustrated yearning for change, for new possibilities, can last a lifetime or even be passed down through generations.