1. Watching Youtube ads
https://pixabay.com/photos/man-boy-laptop-cafe-frustrated-1246277/
I'm guessing that going to bed hungry is tough, but it can't really be that much worse than the feeling you get when you're just minding your own business and watching a Youtube video, only for the video to cut to a commercial right in the middle of it. There is honestly nothing more frustrating in the entire world. Like seriously, how can we be so concerned with things like world hunger when I'm sitting there watching a 30-second Youtube advertisement?
2. Forgetting passwords
https://pixabay.com/photos/laptop-woman-education-study-young-3087585/
Another tragedy of first world living is the difficulty that comes with forgetting what your password is for various websites. Trying to use the same password for everything does not always work, forcing you to keep track of multiple passwords at the same time. There is simply nothing more frustrating than having to click the "forgot password?" option when trying to login to something online. Once again, I'm sure that living in an underdeveloped country is pretty difficult, but this is hard too.
3. Having too much ice in your drink
https://pixabay.com/photos/lemonade-beverage-citrus-cold-3468107/
There really is nothing worse than going to take a sip of a delicious, refreshing first world beverage only to discover that whoever has prepared your beverage has filled it with more ice than with the drink itself. Those in third world locations would not have this problem because many barely have enough to drink in the first place, which I suppose would also be a difficult issue to deal with, but at least they are able to escape the too much ice tragedy.
4. Not knowing what to wear
https://pixabay.com/photos/shirt-clothing-clothes-textile-1902601/
Let's say you have some sort of formal event coming up, or something else important going on, but no matter how many times you look through all the completely unnecessary clothes in your closet, you just cannot possibly find the right outfit to wear. You try on outfit after outfit, but nothing seems to fit the mood of the occasion. It's a real struggle, a real first world problem.
5. Not having Wi-Fi
https://pixabay.com/photos/man-phone-mobile-smartphone-male-4144049/
Alas, we come to one of the most commonly discussed problems of living in a first world country, the problem of not having Wi-Fi, or just having slow internet access. It is the epitome of first world problems, a tragedy that will likely plague every person who lives in a developed country at one point or another. I mean, it is obviously impossible to survive without access to Wi-Fi and a cell phone for even a minute or two in the modern world, creating a minor inconvenience for every first world citizen at some point.
I admit, people in third world countries also seem to have it rough, and of course, I can like, totally understand all of their struggles as someone who has lived in the United States for my entire life, but it's not a piece of cake living in a first world country either. I understand that living in an oppressed society that may or may not provide its citizens with basic human rights would be pretty annoying, but at the same time, my Wi-Fi is totally lagging right now.
Living in a first world country means that you will face many different problems, problems that are often not actually problems but rather minor inconveniences of living a generally privileged life that in reality pale in comparison to the harsh struggles that people in other places around the world face every single day.
Yeah, first world living is rough, to to the point where sometimes, I literally just can't even.
To Those With A Negative View Of Odyssey, Here's Why It's Worth My Time
I'm not a clickbait farm, I'm a young, aspiring writer.
Something that I will never understand is why people have to be so negative when they're online. As a writer on Odyssey, it's hard to see some of the comments that people leave on articles or on Odyssey's Facebook page. From people tearing down writers who are vulnerable enough to openly share their opinions to people downright attacking Odyssey's brand, I'm here to say that I am a writer for the Odyssey and I am proud of it.
When I first joined Odyssey, I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know much about the company besides the fact that I see their articles circulate on my Facebook feed. But I can say that my experience writing on Odyssey has only been positive. I have grown as a writer and have learned how to communicate, work and collaborate in a professional manner. It has taught me discipline and has encouraged me to support and value others' viewpoints.
One of the most rewarding things about Odyssey is my position. I serve as the current editor-in-chief for my community (James Madison University) and get to help each and every one of my creators establish identities and learn all the things that I did as a content creator. I learned the importance of packaging articles and get to work one-on-one with professionals who help me whenever I need or want to.
I've found writing on Odyssey a very rewarding experience, so it puzzles me why people have to be so cruel and quick to bash my fellow Odyssey creators. One criticism I see a lot online is that Odyssey doesn't pay its users, but this isn't entirely true. We don't receive a payment for every article we post online, but if an article goes viral, the author is eligible for that article's ad revenue. After all, rewards should be earned, shouldn't they? Like most student writers, I don't write for money. I write because it is something that I love to do and I want to share my passion with the rest of the world.
(But for the record, I have gotten paid for some of my work, which helps motivate me to keep making my work better.)
Sharing your values and opinions openly isn't always the easiest thing to do. It's people like you who make us scared to do what we love. But you know what? It's also people like you who inspire us to keep doing it. Our goal is to spark conversation. There will never be a day where everyone on this planet agrees with one another and that is OK.
We are here to share our thoughts despite that.
We write so that others out there to know that they're not alone.
We write so that even if people don't agree with us, they can still see our work and form an opinion.
We write so that we can decompress.
We write so that we can prepare for a professional career and learn the skills that it takes to grow as a writer.
We are all human and we all have our own opinions. As a writer, I have learned to take things I don't agree with and write a professional response to it. Now, I don't know if that's just me, but it sounds much more intellectual than leaving a comment on Facebook stereotyping those of us who choose to write and shaming a company for sharing our work.
Odyssey is a great way to sharpen your writing skills and grow. My community has deadlines, meetings, rules, and expectations. We don't just scribble words into a text box and click post. I edit articles and the members of my community have to make revisions. It's not easy but it is so rewarding. It's an opportunity for our writing to be seen and for many of us, it's the start of making a name for ourselves. To be an Odyssey creator, you have to be open-minded and accepting of criticism. You have to be disciplined and committed to putting yourself out there, which is why it's so amazing to me that people try to put us down for what we do.
But hey, at the end of it all, one of our biggest goals is to gain as many people talking as possible. Whether you love our articles or hate them, your snarky comments make it clear that you've at least viewed our article, so thank you for adding to the conversation.
If you're still feeling so negative toward Odyssey and the people who create the content you see, I hope you're able to grow and find something that you are passionate about, just as I am about writing. I challenge you to expand your mind and become a more accepting individual and understand that people will never agree — instead of bashing people who choose to be vulnerable, congratulate them for putting themselves out there. Odyssey has taught me to support my community and everyone who writes chooses to write, whether I agree with their words or not. I hope you can learn to do the same.