Off To The Races

Imagine you’ve signed up for a race.

You get to the track, and the officials place you where you will be starting.

You look around, and realize that everyone is being placed at different starting points.

You think, ‘Well that’s weird, and not really fair, but at least I’m not clear back there. Ok let’s go I guess.’

The race starts.

The ones towards the front finish the race, with much less effort than the ones at the back.

Some of the ones at the back pass the ones in front, albeit with much more effort.

Some sprint to the finish line.

Others jog.

And some wander off the track completely and give up.

So what does this hypothetical race symbolize, you ask?

I think it’s a pretty good representation of privilege.

Any kind of privilege can apply here.

I’d encourage you to look at where you’d be placed in this race.

For me, I’d be toward the front of the pack, for sure.

I’m a white, middle-class, college-educated, business-owning, healthy American female.

I am well aware that I got a helluva head start on being successful in life, just due to circumstances that are totally out of my control. (Um, hello… I was born an American….To a family who supports and loves me. Head start for sure!)

Now here’s the thing though.

Each and every person on that track has the ability to move themselves forward. They all have the ability to work towards that finish line.

(Things within my control, that put me ahead? I chose to attend college. I choose to workout daily, and take care of myself and my mental health. I choose to employ myself, and do a job I enjoy.)

Some of the people at the back will have WAY more drive to finish than the ones at the front. And there’s a good chance they’ll beat them to the finish.

(But we both know they had to run a hell of a lot faster and harder to do so, than that Brittany at the front.)

Then there’s the ones who don’t even finish the race. They’re discouraged that there’s no way they can even place, since they started so far back. And they give up.

And then there’s those that are merrily jogging around the track. They know they probably won’t be the first to the finish line, but they are still picking up their feet and putting in the work.

And at the end of the race, when you’ve finished and are basking in the glory of it all… are you encouraging and helping those that started further back?

Or are you like, ‘What the hell? Why are you so slow? You had every option to enter and win this race, too, ya know.’

Of course they did. They just started way the hell back there.

Through no fault of their own.

In simpler terms?

We’ve all been given this life, and we all have our own share of privilege and difficulties. We have the option to put in the work, and be successful human beings. Just keep in mind that some have to work twice as hard, simply to reach your starting point.

So work hard, have an appreciation for your starting point, and be a little less judgy and more empathetic.

Because less judgy is so Luxuriously Dope. 🖤