My biggest complaint this week was that I don't have air conditioning.
It’s been extremely hot all week, and I’ve done very little except whine that it’s too hot. I tell everyone that I live in a house without air conditioning (it’s an old house), and they all grimace with sympathy. “I don’t know how you’ve survived,” I’ve heard over and over again.
In the moment, it feels normal. Of course everyone should feel bad for me! It’s hot! And honestly, I don’t handle heat well. I’m the type of person who becomes whiny and useless as soon as the temperatures tip over 85. So it seemed completely natural for everyone to feel sorry for me.
But it’s air conditioning.
Unless you have some sort of medical condition where you need to live in a temperature-controlled environment, you don’t need it. I don’t have any sort of medical condition. I just have a whole lot of privilege.
Privilege is a special advantage given to a particular group of people. In this case, I’m talking about the socioeconomic privilege of the middle class.
I know what you’re thinking: the middle class? Really? Just how privileged are they? They’re in the middle.
Well, I’ll tell you something: when you normalize totally unnecessary items, you’re privileged.
For whatever reason, I really felt like I deserved to have the air conditioning. What did I do to earn it? Nothing. Because I’m spending the summer at my parents’ house, I especially don’t have any reason to expect it; I’m not paying for it, and I’m not doing the work to have it installed. I just expect it to be served to me on a silver platter.
And I’m not just talking about air conditioning here. There have been so many things in my lifetime that I felt as if I deserved just because everyone else had it. Expensive nail polish, ear piercings, a trip to Disney World, stupid knick knacks, the latest trending outfit...the list goes on and on.
No one owes me any of that. Just because I could afford it doesn’t mean that I should have it. There are people in this world--no, there are people in this country--that would love to have clothes that fit, let alone what’s in style. There are people that would love to have a hot meal--they’re not concerned with whether or not it’s their favorite.
When did we become so self-centered that we began to think that the world owed us anything?
The world owes you nothing. If you want something, you have to go out and get it. You have to work for it. And if at the end of the day you have a little kindness to spare, maybe you could share with your neighbor instead of indulging yourself. It’s a different kind of privilege to share what you have with someone else.
