Privelages Reflection

“An opportunity, that is granted, not guaranteed.” This is my initial though regarding privilege. I consider a privilege to be a blessing that not everyone has the chance to experience. Privilege is term that can refer to various aspect of one’s life. For some, a privilege is a blessing that one should be grateful for. For others a privilege is a personal opportunity that is sought after. It is presumed to be available to everyone despite gender, race, or age. Sometimes this thought can definitely be questionable. A privilege is viewed to be free, to a certain extent of course. By free, I ‘m referring to its availability. When I consider privileges, I relate them in a restricted manner, For example, I reflect on the privileges I have now that my ancestors didn’t have the chance to contain. Though this may be true, in order to receive a privilege, hard work is required. Yet is it available to everyone? Though this is hoped for, privileges, like most material things can be taken away. So they are usually cherished. However, they are also taken for granted. There are privileges that we as Americans receive daily, that we never take heed of. In a sense, privileges are rights that are optional. Typically, when considering a privilege, one usually views, or considers it as an honor; meaning that only the “best of the best” receive such a reward. If privileges are open and available to the public, why are they not promised to everyone? For this reason, we must keep in mind, that promises can be broken. In a sense, some privileges require certain criteria to be met in order to receive it. In other words, it is a competition; may the best one win. Is this fair? Of course not. Despite the positive connotations the term privileges has, there is always two sides to every story. What I mean by this is that for minorities, some privileges that should be color blind, obtain unconscious favoritism. As an African-American, I have a innate factor that was passed to me from my parents, and so on; to work harder to be as adequate as my competition, Caucasians. The world we live in today is still blinded by race, and not quality as a result, African-Americans in my opinion received “the short end of the stick” in relations to privileges. Unfortunately our race has an uncontrollable, unchangeable restraint that tries, and sometimes succeeds in getting in our way politically, socially, and economically which makes us not viewed the same way. What is this restraint; the amount of melanin in our skin. Our people have experienced hardships that indeed, at the end of the day make us stronger, but is this considered a privilege? Why is it that my race/ethnicity introduces or tells the world who I am without me stating a word? Privileges are also given to those in some cases, don’t deserve it. For this reason, White people (though they experience their troubles also) simply can’t grasp the intensity of the daily turmoil’s that my people experience even now, especially in the professional realm. They don’t have to worry about being judged, or, called a “sell-out” for wanting a better life by doing positive things by their peers. For them, it’s considered a norm to have the things they own, or opportunities they receive because everyone around them has it. Sadly the people surrounding them are of the same race. If people only knew what they really had, instead of allowing greed to conquer them the world might be a better place. I feel that despite the hindrance my race and ethnicity tires to put on me, it will not succeed. Moreover, I feel privileged to be a member of such a profound culture that by time keeps accomplishing great things. Does this mean that I will be defeated by the world that surrounds me? Not by the least bit. It means that I will live in the world, and not of it.