Privileged

***Note: this is not a political post about white privilege or anything like that. So there is no need to start a debate, these are just my thoughts for you to enjoy.

I'll be the first one to say it. I am privileged. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes privilege as the following:

1. Having or enjoying one or more privileges

2. Not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstance; especially: not subject to disclosure in a court of law.

I would like to present my own definition of privilege for your consideration.

Privilege: The ease of access to opportunities

I have been very lucky in my life and have been blessed with many opportunities, much like the one I am on right now. I don't want to tell you about how I work hard to have those opportunities, I did, but that's not what this post is about. Instead, I want to tell you about two girls I saw the other day. 

I was walking around my neighborhood the other day, and I live in a pretty ritzy area. The house I live in would be considered large back in the states and it's not even the largest one in the neighborhood. I wanted to get to know the area and I just started to walk aimlessly. Block after block I walked, and then I came to this one house. There was this dog sleeping on the steps outside and I loved the way it looked so I took a picture. When I turned the corner I realized that I had just taken a picture of a front door. 

From the other street I could see the house, it was this tiny mud brick house and outside were two young girls, playing like all children do. At that moment though, seeing that house, seeing the girls so young and blissful playing outside, my heart broke. I could not handle the sight of this house so clearly in a state of poverty surrounded by all of this wealth and privilege of their neighbors. This mud brick house is only a few blocks away from giant 8 bedroom houses with grand entrances. 

The young girls I saw have the same opportunities as their neighbors, but they don't have the same ease of access to them. That is where privilege comes into play. 

I am privileged. I am blessed. I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had and for the fact that I've had to work for them. I am privileged because I have the ability and freedom to dream big, to dream of travel, to dream of being an engineer, to dream of opportunities and then to have the ability to turn my dreams into a reality. 

I am not saying this to hold my privilege over anyone, but just to state that I am aware of my privilege. We all have different kinds of privilege that go far beyond ethnicity or gender, you be privileged because you are athletically gifted, or your brilliant and school is a cake walk to you, or language has always come easy to you, and many more things. The list is never ending. My point is that you are privileged, maybe in ways you don't see. Once we become aware of our privilege it is important to ask a question.

How can you, how can I, use our privilege to benefit others?

At some point someone gave you an opportunity. We can use our privilege to create opportunities for others. People often think that you have to sacrifice your privilege in order to level the playing field. I disagree. Privilege is like a resource, we have to learn how to use it. So I dare you. Use your privilege to create an opportunity for someone who doesn't have the same ease of access to opportunities. We can use our privilege to help others, to bless others. So congratulations, I am proud to say that you are privileged for reasons you may not realize. Think about it, think about the ways you have an ease of access to opportunities that others don't have. Then take those opportunities, and when you get to a point in your life make opportunities for others.  

My heart broke when I saw that small house because I knew that those girls did not have the same ease of access to opportunities. I wish I could do more for these young girls, but for now I will work hard at my internship, knowing that with access to water opens up the doors to many opportunities. I can't wait to see how you will change the world, so go and use your privilege to benefit others and to create opportunities.