Good Health and Financial Security are PRIVILEGES

A lot of people don’t understand the wealth that comes with being healthy and possessing financial security and it’s frustrating. They’re privileges to say the least but many don’t recognise them as such because they’ve never experienced the fear of receiving a hospital bill they can’t afford or medication they’re too poor to buy to help manage their sickness. Those of us who come from lower income backgrounds or suffer with financial stability aren’t “weaponising our sorrows” or have victim complexes like some privilege people push the narrative of, it’s us acknowledging resources are inaccessible and various things in our circumstances prevent us from getting the help we’re seeking. We’re not purposefully being neglectful of our health or willingly put ourselves in debt, we’re navigating to the best of our ability with what IS available to us, but in most cases there’s always a cost.

Receiving therapy, having regular physical and dental check ups, possessing the ability to exercise daily and not having to take several different medications just to function are privileges. The people who don’t see these things as privileges are more than likely in a position where they can afford or have never experienced these hardships. I’m chronically disabled and fighting sickness every day, and even though I have little to nothing myself I still make it a task to get out and help others in my community and others because I know what this struggle is like. Eating at pantries, unstable housing, lack of financial security, inability to have regular check ups, etc.

If I was financially secure and healthy, the volunteering I’m doing would triple. All of these things are human rights but the greedy government and privileged people put a price tag on everything to oppress the already suffering communities and I hate it.