I won’t say I’m privileged, but…
Privilege – an advantage that only one person or group of people has, usually because of their position or because they are rich.
In Singapore, we are fortunate that many of us are better off than the 12.1% of households without monthly income from work (source: Singstat.gov.sg).
However, saying that we’re all privileged may be a stretch when some of us are still chasing after a better quality of life.
I did not grow up privileged like some. My dad was a taxi driver for many years before he lost his license and had to perform odd-jobs just to get by. My mom was a technical drafter who resigned from her position to be a homemaker, and take care of me and my brother.
Two decades later, I’m now part of the sandwich generation, where I have to raise preschoolers while my parents also rely on me to pay for their utilities and medical bills.
When rising costs of living and lack of time is a problem, how does one give back without affecting our own quality of life?
As someone with a 9 – 6 job and a household to feed daily, volunteering time can be a challenge because even 24 hours a day can be too short sometimes.
But as the year comes to a close, we have to acknowledge whatever privilege we have, and try to do what we can with what little we have.
One way to pay-it-forward is through micro-giving – doing small acts of kindness while on-the-go – this includes giving up your seat to the elderly, donating to the tissue-seller aunties or uncles on the street, and saying ‘hi’ to the migrant workers in your neighbourhood.
Second, conscious buying. When shopping, we can try to look out for brands or organisations that pledge to give back to those deprived, with every purchase. I recently bought donated children’s books from the Blessings in a Bag charity shop where proceeds go back to their programmes to help at-risk communities.
Third, be a neighbour or a better friend. We see our neighbours and friends every day, and when we get to know them better, we may find out that they have their own personal struggles and battles to fight.
Can we, in our own way, help them?
If we can acknowledge our ‘privilege’, then we can put it to better use helping the community rather than shunning it just because its people may be different from us.
So even though we’re chasing for higher salaries and for more time, compared to the 12.1% of households with neither, having more gives us a chance to help others in our own capacity.
In that sense, aren’t we quite privileged?
