I am white, I do not face racial discrimination.

I have lived a well-off life as a result of hard working parents, I do not personally know the extremes of economic hardship.

I am straight, I have never had to face the fight for the right to express love.

I am Christian, I do not face the challenges that come with non-protestant religions in the United States.

I am able-bodied, I do not face daily struggles that come with mental and physical handicaps.

While I do face challenges in society, it is mostly a result of being a woman; I am “underprivileged” in one aspect in which I am valued and seen by society and the media.

But, overall, I am privileged.

For the most part, these are not in my control. I did not wake up and decide to live the life I have, it is the one I have been given. Just like those that do not have the same privileges in life as I do did not choose their lives. But it does not change the reality of our lives.

Yes, I am privileged. Now what?

Before going further, it is necessary to understand what privilege is. Privilege is defined as “a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others" or "the advantage that wealthy and powerful people have over other people in a society. "In terms of social privilege, I’ve once had someone helpfully explain it to me as the ability to not have an experience. In essence, privilege is the access to social mobility or experiences, or lack thereof, of a certain group. I have never been discriminated against because of my race, thus I have not had experiences that many minority ethnic and racial groups face. This is not to say that every person that falls under a specific category will, or will not, face certain forms of discrimination. It is just that, as a collective whole, those groups tend to face those circumstances far more than others, making them underprivileged in comparison.

With this concept, “check your privilege” has become a commonly used phrase, whether seriously or ironically, on social media. It is a way to challenge behaviors and ingrained attitudes based on one’s position in life, regarding the fact that certain people are more privileged in society than others. We are told to “check” our privilege to ensure we are putting aside ourselves to gain a greater understanding of others’ situations in life. While valuable and important, the current approach to privilege is far too focused on condemnation and guilt of the privileged, rather than the support of the underprivileged.

At Corban University’s chapel sessions last week, there were discussions of crimes against the Native American peoples as their land was stolen, their tribes were destroyed, their people were targeted. Mark Charles talked about the need to lament or express grief, over past events – and even current injustices. On Wednesday, Charles discussed the difference between power and authority, and that you may have the power to do something but you don’t necessarily have the authority to do so. This is privilege – we hold the power, but not the authority. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the knowledge that we don’t have that authority; this is the purpose of checking your privilege, to be able to recognize when we do and do not have authority and power.

Because of this discrepancy in authority and power, we often do not have the right to act in the way that we do when we have the ability to, or we have the right to act but not the means. In order for the powerless but authoritative, or underprivileged, to act, they must gain power. In order for the powerful but unauthoritative, or privileged, to act, they simply have to make the choice to move forward. This route by the privileged is towards the agenda of the privileged, consciously or not. The best route is to move forward by gaining authority by understanding the situations and circumstances that underprivileged groups face, then work with them to exercise your power to help them gain the same resources in life.

When we see the powerful act, it is often out of the first, selfish route. Because of this, we condemn the privileged instead of allowing their help because they just don’t “get it.” We want them to feel remorse for history, but don’t allow them to make amends. But that doesn’t take away the ingrained privileges within society; it doesn’t change the way things are. We need to change our mindsets to see that there must be some way to take that privilege and fix something. Is privilege limited to guilt, or can it be more?

Yes, I am privileged. But that does not mean I do not care about others. It does not mean I am ignorant to the suffering of others. With that privilege, though, comes the battle of using it. I have been born into a life of societal resources, shouldn’t I use them to help others gain the same?

Discrimination of any kind is never, and should never, be considered “okay.” We should never treat another person as less than ourselves, and we ought not allow society to do the same. But holding the belief that this is wrong and actually doing something about it are different things. Knowing it is wrong does not change the fact that it exists; checking my privilege will never change the fact that I have privilege. It needs to be more than a checklist; there needs to be active decisions made by the privileged in all fields and walks of life, as well as cooperation by the underprivileged to work with the privileged, despite their differences. I need to use the privileges that my position in life brings to lift others up, not keep them where they currently are.

So what do we do? How can I, a relatively privileged individual, actually help? Is my privilege something to feel guilty about, or something I can utilize to help fix injustices in this world?

Our privileges are not going to go away over night, nor will the actions of one person alter our entire system. But that doesn't mean we can't try. Help change the course of history. Fight back against the privileged history that we hold and help steer us elsewhere.

Instead of condemning privilege in itself, we need to be evaluating our power and gaining authority by understanding those around us. Look for the little things, like preferential treatment in public places. If you notice a pattern in treatment of those like and unlike you, bring attention to it. Gain understanding of your own prejudices, and get control of them. Look at movements and activist groups, such as Black Lives Matter, from a perspective of understanding, rather than one of prejudice and judgment. Stay up to date on legislation and court cases that could possibly affect minority groups. It is a lot, and it is nearly impossible to do it all, but we all have to start somewhere. Don’t fall subject to the bystander effect; step up and speak out when you see injustice in society.

Use your privilege for the benefit of others. You have been given resources that others lack. Use them for the good of society and the people directly around you, not for your own agenda. Don’t choose willful ignorance because it seems easier. Step outside of yourself and speak up when victims’ voices have been drowned out, not because you want to be heard, but because they deserve to be.