What Does Privilege Mean To Me

When you are younger you never are really able to see how privileged you possibly are. It takes an older, matured, and certainly a different perspective to truly grasp whether you were privileged, or even oppressed. When I think back to my past, I realized that I was not as privileged as the rich or wealthy, but to other children around me, I was the privileged one. Even though I was the privileged one out of my friends, we were still oppressed when it came to our school system. It was actually somewhat difficult to come to some of these conclusions about my past, but they are also good and make me feel appreciative about where I have been and where I am going in my life. On top of that, where I am at now in my life gives me special privileges
I am more privileged than others around me still. I attend a amazing college with a price tag per year that others chuckle at the thought of paying out of their own pocket. Yet, I am privileged enough to attend this school completely free. I am fortunate enough to be able to call myself a veteran, and that gives me privilege that no many other have. This privilege follows me in other aspects besides school. People, and especially future employers, see me as different. They take my military background as trust worthy and I, possibly, get a better chance at a job then someone with less experience. For a second, before deciding to come back to school, I contemplated starting a career in law enforcement since it was an almost automatic acceptance since I was a veteran. This was a privilege that others did not have. I am privileged in more ways than one, and have now realized it. It makes me appreciative for what I have in my life, but it also helps me to understand that not everyone has the same opportunities as me. Understanding this privilege helps me to see other perspectives and, if possible, make adjustments necessary to grant others the opportunity to have the same privileges that I had. And if I can not grant them the same privileges that I had, I want to be able to help them identify their own privileges and help them capitalize on it so that they can get the most out of what they want in their life. Everybody has a privilege, some less than other, but all are privileged and it just takes the right perspective to get people to see that. While bigger entities such as corporations or government still need to do their part to create fair privileges amongst the people, individuals still need to do what they can to capitalize on their own privileges. Life is a game in which everyone must strive to turn the tables in their favor, and if the table is not set how you like it, well then flip the table and create your