Culture and privilege are like moving through air to us. They're so ubiquitous that we don't even notice them until something goes wrong. When was the last time you thought about the fact that you've moving through a gaseous medium, that it has weight and mass? The same goes with culture, interacting with people in ways that are so familiar to us we don't even notice we're doing it. Expecting things to just work or not work for us as a matter of course.
It's a very human attitude because it behooves us to ignore the familiar while we focus on our goals. Wasting energy on examining every thought or action gives us less time and resources to address other concerns. And yet it's to our benefit to occasionally step back and take stock of our circumstances, re-examine all those things we take for granted. It can help us improve not only the lives of others but our own.
Nicely written, thank you. :)
Culture and privilege are like moving through air to us. They're so ubiquitous that we don't even notice them until something goes wrong. When was the last time you thought about the fact that you've moving through a gaseous medium, that it has weight and mass? The same goes with culture, interacting with people in ways that are so familiar to us we don't even notice we're doing it. Expecting things to just work or not work for us as a matter of course.
It's a very human attitude because it behooves us to ignore the familiar while we focus on our goals. Wasting energy on examining every thought or action gives us less time and resources to address other concerns. And yet it's to our benefit to occasionally step back and take stock of our circumstances, re-examine all those things we take for granted. It can help us improve not only the lives of others but our own.