check your privilege

my life is ridiculously blessed 

privilege is not a bad thing

but it needs to be acknowledged 

&, i believe, used for good, to help others

so this is me, checking my privilege.

[this is not me bragging - i did literally nothing to deserve this. i view my position in life as a sacred trust from God to help others achieve their full potential & not be held back by circumstances of birth.]
 [i also acknowledge that i am imperfect & that words are imperfect & that our world is imperfect.
please know that i am learning & trying.] :)

i am white

& i grew up in a predominately white society. [89%, to be precise]

i have never been made to feel "other" or "less-than" because of my race or skin color

most people in power look like me

most depictions of God/diety/Jesus Christ that i've been exposed to look like me

except for one time in milwaukee, i have always been the racial majority, wherever i went

i'm not aware of a time in history when my race was specifically discriminated against 

{my ancestry is mostly scottish, i think. 

we were on the losing side of the jacobite rebellion. and the civil war. oopsie.} 

i have two married parents who love each other

i have neverevereverevereverever doubted my parents love for each other or for me.

ever.

that alone is such a blessing.

i grew up in a stable home with love & support from my mother & my father

i was never treated as "less-than" because i am a daughter/woman/female

my dad has always treated my mom with love & respect, & vice versa

we're not perfect, but we're definitely blessed

i am in good mental health

i have my struggles, like anyone else, & i've seen a counselor for different issues
{highly recommended to everyone, btw.} 

some things are more difficult for me than others, but in the words of my counselor

i have "all the tools needed" to deal with things in a healthy way

this, is a huge blessing.

i've been insulted & mocked & rejected {mormon missionary life will do that to ya, as well as regular mormon life, as well as regular human life}

but i've come out of it relatively unscathed.

i've also got a solid religious background / faith / belief system

while not exactly mainstream {mormons get their fair share of grief, imo} 

i still identify as Christian, & in that way fit into the accepted religious majority of those around me

i've never been discriminated against for my gender identity or sexual orientation

{lest this photo confuse you, i identify as female.} :)

i have never, ever, ever in my life been told that i would go to hell because of my gender identity or sexual orientation

[more thoughts on going to heaven/hell here]

i have never been treated as "other," 

never even felt the remotest threat of being disowned by my family

never wanted to end my life because of my identity

never had to reconcile a part of how i feel with what my religion teaches [at least in that way]

never been in the gender-identity/sexual orientation minority 

i've never run out of money

i've never been homeless

never not had enough to eat

yes, i worry about finances

and i am by no means rich or exorbitantly wealthy

but i'm able to attend a university

& pay rent
& use my laptop to access the internet
& my free time to write this blog

without living paycheck to paycheck

& even enjoy some luxuries {mostly thanks to my parents}

i'm educated 

my parents read to me as a child

& are incredibly supportive of me & my education

helped me with math homework

provided time & supplies 

went to parent-teacher conferences

i went to good school with good programs & great teachers

& i'm good at taking tests.

i'm able-bodied 

i can walk

& see

& hear

i've never been discriminated against because of a physical disability

i've never been held back

{i can't run very far/fast, but mostly because i don't exercise}

my body isn't perfect 

but it does the job :)

------------------------------------

there are countless other ways i've been privileged, i'm sure

& probably some ways i've been denied privilege 

{i choose not to focus on those}

being privileged is not a bad thing

it is a privilege 

& it comes with an obligation to help others

life isn't fair

not everyone who is white, etc shares my privilege

& being privileged doesn't mean i'm without problems/struggles

but it does mean i can't presume to know the struggles of someone in a different situation.

we all come into this world with different advantages/disadvantages

how we respond to those is our own choice

& circumstances don't dictate our choices

all of us have the opporunity to rise above our circumstances

& to take our God-given privileges 

& use them to help others

in conclusion ~

"Such a sermon demands that I openly acknowledge the unearned, 
undeserved, 
unending blessings of my life, 
both temporal and spiritual. 

Like you, I have had to worry about finances on occasion, 

but I have never been poor, 

nor do I even know how the poor feel. 

Furthermore, I do not know all the reasons why the circumstances of 
birth, health, education, and economic opportunities vary so widely here in mortality, 

but when I see the want among so many, I do know that 
“there but for the grace of God go I.”

I also know that although I may not be my brother’s keeper, 

I am my brother’s brother, 

and “because I have been given much, I too must give."

[source]