A Student Response From:
Adrian
In my life I have never realized how much privilege I have and I have experienced. I never realized this due in part because that is what I thought was normal. However now that I am older I can see and acknowledge the things that were apart of my life because of how privilege I was. This helped to see and understand some of the hardships that other people are facing and have faced in this world. I was very fortunate to have grown up the way that I have. I can say that it has made me more empathetic. Even though I will never experience some of the things that other individuals have I do feel a sense of empathy for what they are going though. Growing up with hardships has it disadvantages but I can see that it also builds resilience and makes people stronger.
Comments 1
This prompt also made me consider my childhood and the degree of privilege I had growing up, and continue to have. I think that it is hard to have empathy when you don’t recognize the privilege that you are living with, but it is definitely a bit of a rude awakening when you start to grow up and see all of the issues in the world that other people have to struggle through on a daily basis. Part of me wants to live that struggle for a bit, as I have felt a degree of guilt that I did not have to go through many struggles growing up. Another part of me knows that my family has worked hard for many generations to achieve the privilege that we currently have, so I know there is a lot to be thankful for. I think my main takeaway, though, from understanding the privilege that I grew up with is that I need to work as hard as possible so I can continue to provide for those who have provided for me, as well as help those who are less fortunate. I think it is very Important to help those around us, whether we know them personally or not. This is especially important when you are lucky enough to have the means to make an impact, and I truly hope that I can do so in some way or other over the course of my life.