Silver Spoons and Wooden Legs

Silver Spoons and Wooden Legs

            Think of yourselves for just one second, think about what you have, think about what you want, think about what makes you happy, and then what you need to survive. Are your needs and your wants things that have a fine line between them? Now use some empathy and put yourself in the shoes of someone that lives in a third world country, or cut off from civilization, even some of the less fortunate that could be living on the streets. Compare your wants and needs to theirs, are they different? Are they the same? Now think about your chances of living right now, battling all of the sperms in order to be the most dominate, but not knowing what was going to be next. Not knowing if you will be born rich, poor, tall, short or mentally handicapped. We cannot decide the color of our skin, or the region that we are brought into to. When it comes down to it some people are born with a wooden leg and some are born with a silver spoon, what are you born with? While being born into an underprivileged family might be considered a wooden leg in first world, could be considered a silver spoon in third world countries.  

            As myself come from a middle class middle income family, never had too much and never had enough, when comparing to what I thought I always deserved. Well what I deserved and what I thought I deserved are two different things. I was always wishing I had more, and that I needed more, that what I had was not sufficient. Never stopping and thinking about others less fortunate than me, who do not have anything near as I do. For the reason that they were born with a wooden leg, they had no say in what they wanted or deserved. They just got what they got and that’s it. Myself, being fortunate enough to own my own car, sustain my own job, and attend school at my own free will are some things people would give their lives for. Yet, there are days that I come home from work, complaining about my job, and complaining about school and saying how I deserve more than this. My mind has always been tuned subconsciously that “enough is never enough” I could always have more, and why don’t I have more, I need to go get more. I am never stopping to think about the others who physically cannot have more. The ones who need to have more in order to survive, but must make due and adapt to what they can find.

            While I do not say shame on us who were born semi-fortunate, or attempt to criticize first world nations. It is in our human nature to do the best we can do in our given situation, and to my knowledge we only live once, so why not try and make it the best the life we are given. This is not being selfish, but understanding what is always in our best interest to do. Sometimes our best interest though can be more selfish then it need be. In turn taking the things we already have for granted, and striving to achieve more than necessary. People living in first world countries who are economically stable can find it quite easy to lose sight of what we need in order to live, then focusing our economics on obtaining life closer to luxury.

            I work as a detailer at an auto dealership; I like to think of my job as washing and cleaning people’s extravagant pieces of debit. People come in with these champagne tastes and soda pockets attempting to buy a vehicle that has more features than a space shuttle. Some of the people can afford the vehicle but a majority of them will make themselves afford it. I think that we want something new in life, and that buying a new car turns a new page in life for some.  Then when sitting down with the sales person they decide that they need the heated seats, steering wheel and mirrors, as well as the panoramic sun roof. I think that sometimes people come in looking for a 4 star hotel on wheels with a voice guided personal assistant. While I cannot say that some do not need these features, while some might suffer from frosted butt syndrome, I can say that new vehicles are defiantly catering to us in a way that could be seen as unnecessary. If you look at the people who live in some underdeveloped nations where there are no roads for cars with heated seats and panoramic sun roofs, just their own two feet and the motivation and drive to get where they need to go.

            The thought I want you to leave with is that life itself is a luxury that money cannot buy and some people are born being more fortunate and life comes easy, some being born and must work hard to achieve the small luxuries and comfort, and some are born with a wooden leg.  Sometimes the least fortunate will slip from our minds as we get carried away in our everyday stressful lives, but we should not forget that they are there and they deserve just as much as everyone else. We all have something in common and that is that we all inhabit the same earth, we are all born the same way, and that we are all created equal. I know I will think about this the next time I go to grab my morning coffee and drive to my stressful job and try to stop complaining about how I deserve more, because there are people out there that have nothing but a wooden leg.