Privilege
“I
have friends who wear Star Wars costumes and act like the characters
all day. I may not be that deep into it, but there's something great
about loving what you love and not caring if it's unpopular.”
Kristen
Bell (Actress/Singer)
“It's
easy for the thought-leaders and executive classes to embrace a 'do
what you love and love what you do' philosophy when they are wealthy
enough to work hard only voluntarily, and when their jobs grant them
status.”
Alex
Pareene (Editor of Gawker)
Both
of these statements are true. There truly is something great about
loving what you love, and being able to do what you love, without
making excuses for it. Many creative people work several jobs in
order to be able to do what they love. They wait tables, clerk, tend
bar, house sit, dog walk, do manual labor—whatever it takes to put
food on the table so that they can pursue their love of something
that doesn't make money. To them, life without the freedom
to be creative is unimaginable. They may or may not be privileged,
educated, or Caucasian. Their priority is creativity, and they
willingly sacrifice.
On
the other hand, privilege does play a huge role in financial success
and the freedom to live by ones own lights. If nothing else, it
allows access to people with money and power, and provides a network
of other privileged folks willing to support one of their own. As Mr.
Trump says, “the game is rigged” toward those who already have
more than they need, and against those who do not. That is true
enough. In a capitalistic system hierarchies are inevitable, and most
of the wealth and privilege are congregated at the top.
In
addition, there are billions of people who grind it out all day long,
working at hard, labor-intensive jobs just to feed
themselves and their families. They would, no doubt, do what they love
if they had time and energy to even ascertain what that might be. The
vast majority of people on planet earth fit into this category. They
are the permanent underclass whose lives are centered around survival
only.
Given
all that, given the way the world is unfair and off-balance, what are
our choices? I wish I had a good answer for that. I can only say
this: If we can find one thing that we love, one thing that we are
deeply passionate about, regardless of our state or status, then our
lives will be immeasurably better than without that love. Love makes
a difference. It may not put food on the table, but it will make lack
more bearable. Choose love.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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