Do you ever just stop and think about how lucky you are, or how you’re in the right place at the right time, when you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As I write this, I am sitting in an airport, waiting for my plane to come as the shaky weather pushes my departure time further. Yes, it sucks to have to wait another hour or two for my plane to arrive, but then I think about perspective. One of the biggest lessons I learned from about perspective was from a woman named Coach Jo, who visited my softball team during our annual Christmas party, and taught us that no matter what the game throws at us, we must remember that not everyone gets the chance to play college softball and there are some people who don’t get the amazing opportunity to play a sport.
While I sit at the airport and think, I see perspective on an even bigger level. It’s scary to think that a little less than a month ago, 36 people died and 147 were injured during an airport attack in Turkey. Every time I fly, I like to think, “That’s what the TSA is here for right?” or “This isn’t a place where they’d choose to target,” but when I think about this, I forget that part of my thinking is about privilege.
This doesn’t just apply to what airline I choose to fly on or what airport I fly out of. It’s more about the possibility that I wouldn’t be able to see my friends in Maryland at all because I couldn’t afford a weekend getaway. I also think about the privileges I have as a student at a liberal arts college 1,070 miles away from home, or that even though I am mixed, my skin tone looks lighter than what my heritage “should” reflect. A few days ago, a behavioral therapist in my county got shot in the leg by a police officer while helping a patient with autism return to his facility, and I can’t help but feel guilty that if it was me helping an autistic patient it would not have happened in the same manner.
People in Syria, Turkey, and many places in the Middle East struggle with escaping their country, in the wake of coups and terrorism. I’m sitting here, worried about the future outcome of my country, but not terrified of living on my own or being comfortable purchasing a flight.
I guess what my airport thoughts are trying to say is that although it may be hard to see perspective and privilege, in order to truly spark a change in society, and where the world is heading, we need to reflect on ourselves. What are we telling ourselves that's stopping us from starting the change our world needs?
It’s not easy to see privilege, but don’t be afraid to ask questions about other people who are different from you what makes life different for them? Whether they’re black, white, latin, straight, LGBTQ+, middle eastern, Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist, asking about what struggles they face is a start. We may not all be able to agree on the same things, but if we come together a little more than we have been, I see change in our future.
