Recently I've been thinking about hard work and privilege. I believe that hard work helps people improve, but without the kindness of others, it's not always acknowledged and not always able to help a person succeed. I also believe that privilege comes hand and hand with hardship, but hardship does not block out privilege. I remember in school how sometimes we had to choose our own groups to work on projects. I was always a hard worker, but if I didn't have a friend in my class, it made me less likely to be chosen for a group. In school, I realized, the only the people that seemed to acknowledge hard work was my teachers. My classmates, not so much. If you weren't their friend, it was unlikely they'll pick you. If you wanted to get into a group, you had to take the initiative to ask around and hope someone would be kind enough to take you in. The same thing happens in gym class when captains are chosen to choose people to be on their teams. I didn't really try that hard in PE but when my friends were the captains, I was one of the first people chosen. These school experiences have taught me that hard work doesn't always get you where you want, but it does help you improve. Having to take initiative to get into project groups gave me more confidence. The experiences also taught me that the kindness and acknowledgement of others plays an important role in helping me succeed. My school memories have taught me a lot about privilege as well. In classes where I had friends, I was privileged. I didn't have to awkwardly stand in the corner, waiting for an invitation to join a group. Although I was privileged to have friends, that didn't block out troubles like the lazy worker or stress. Yet, these hardships didn't block out the fact I was privileged to have friends to work with instead of being with strangers. Outside of school, I've learned the same lesson. When I was in middle school, a friend who was much less financially fortunate than my family lived at my home for a couple of months. I remember my dad said he would pay us $0.25 for every dandelion we picked up in our yard. I got about $5.00, Hunter got a little more, but my friend got $12.75. I never really had to worry about money in my life, so I wasn't that motivated to pick dandelions because I knew all I had to do was wait for the holidays when relatives would pile me with gifts. My friend, on the other hand, knew the value of the dollar and was willing to work hard and pick much more dandelions. My family's financial privilege didn't block out all trouble, but our hardships didn't make us any less privileged. What are your thoughts and experiences on these topics? Thanks for reading and see you next month!
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AuthorI'm Darcy Ridge, creating stories that all revolve around family and identity in a myriad of ways. In the past, I have shared multiple stories and published a novella online. You can find me on Wattpad and many other social media websites. They/them [Image Description: black background with the words "Social Justice and Mental Health Resources" in white in the center /end ID]
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