we are well into the first half of the year and so much has happened already; droughts, fires, floods and the development of a pandemic. I can say for sure that most of us were not expecting something like this to happen. However, the kindness and sharing that has risen from such a terrible occurrence has been a blessing. I'm grateful that I have a roof over my head and a steady stream of income during this time and I am constantly thanking myself for returning to study this year. Without my commitment to this degree, I can honestly say that my partner and I may have gone under.
I have seen a lot of judgement against those receiving government benefits during this time, especially with the stimulus packages starting up, I would like to say that there are so many folks from different walks of life that are not considered when benefits are talked about. I have even heard people say to me "but it's ok, you're a full-time student. You're doing something". It causes me to think that this prejudice exists for a reason, and when considering the "personal is political" movement, a shared issue moves beyond personal and into societal when personal solutions cannot solve the issue.
I feel it is easy to argue that it is the fault of the one, the singular, it is harder to show compassion and harder still to look at why this phenomena continues to happen. I don't have a solution, I can't even say that I am not involved in taking the easy way out. However, during these trying times, I think it is important to question why things are the way they are and how we got here. Maybe through a long, hard look into the societal mirror we can start to change something, even if that something is ourselves and our sense of compassion for other people. Our unacknowledged privilege will not prevent us from hard times but it can help us to help each other.
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