It’s such a funny thing to start realizing all of the privileges that we have just by being lucky enough to have been born in the USA. This list has nothing to do with race or gender or sexual orientation (even though there are many more lists that I could make that do recognize the many privileges of White people, Males, and Straight people). For now, this list is only to do with the privileges of those who were born into citizenship of the USA.

1. We do not have to walk everyday for miles to find drinkable/usable water. For millions of people, water is not something that comes from a sink or a well or a fountain that is in the local park. For millions of people water is at least a 3-mile walk one way and a 3-mile walk back while carrying a 40-50 pound water jug. Not only do we as Americans take for granted that a water source is never too far away, we take for granted the fact that water is not just a luxury, it is a necessity. Nothing and no one lives without water. Wars do not matter, race does not matter, even sexuality and religion do not matter, without water. I challenge you to go to Google and do 10 minutes of research on the dire state of water around the world. If you do not leave your research with a heavy soul, I challenge you to reevaluate. Here is a starting point: http://water.org/water-crisis/women-children-facts/
2. We do not have to worry about dying from severe diarrhea. This one is a little more complicated as I need to explain that dysentery is not just a disease that only affected soldiers in WWI in the trenches like so many Americans come to believe. It is not just some old, eradicated disease that only concerns people who open a novel about the conditions of war. It is a reality and a killer of millions of people every year around the world. What is it caused from?? Relating to #1 on our list, inadequate water. You see, it is not just that water is far away from people, it is that the water that they walk to get is contaminated. It is not even drinkable, but they drink it anyway because they have no other option. Consequently, very treatable diseases (diarrhea and dysentery) kill the people, especially children, in these countries. Diseases are only treatable if there is treatment available, and they don’t have that either. Here is a starting resource on the topic: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/diarrhoea/en/
3. We do not have to beg/plead/and fight for our k-12 education Education is something that every child in America complains about having to do. Well, I think we should expose everyone in America to what life is like when instead of going to school, you have to go fetch your family’s unsanitary water for the week. That is not an exaggeration; it is reality for millions of people, mostly women and girls. Education in developing countries is something that is not given, not prioritized, and not expected, it is only hoped for. Here is your resource: http://www.bmz.de/en/what_we_do/issues/Education/hintergrund/bildungsituation/

So, as we celebrate July 4, I challenge you to be mindful of the basic privileges that you have as a natural born citizen of the U.S. – Clean water is close by, there is public education, and there are clinics and treatments for the most treatable diseases in the world. While we are all wrapped up in this election season and we are pissed off at the government and at each other, we need to step back and realize that our situation is just fine.

A lot of people could really use our privileges and resources, maybe we could share?