"On Privilege"

It was either very late at night or very early in the morning, depending on the perspective one chooses.  Upon awakening, I found myself thinking about recent happenings and a word that ties them all together.  As so often occurs in my life I have an idea, a sense of the word and what it means, but I am unable to define it succinctly.  How does one clearly express privilege? 

Yesterday afternoon my son communicated via a text, along with a picture, a geocache he had discovered; daughters shared their lives; a friend in another state showed me a picture of a wildfire being observed from her front porch.  To top it off two of the grandgirls who have moved far, far away (Idaho fills that description for me) called telling me of their current accomplishments.  The fearless one had just mastered an entire list of gymnastic feats, and I was able to hear about it first-hand.  The sparkly one had her own gymnastic skills to share, and I was told of all the plans for an upcoming Grandma visit.  The common denominator was the communication of our time, the cell phone. 

Privilege:  a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor; a right not enjoyed by others or by all; special enjoyment of a good; preferential treatment.

The thing about privileges is that they become so easily taken for granted, right along with gifts, blessings, and all the other positive things in our lives.  I daresay most of the younger generation (now I'm really sounding old, aren't I?) would not feel the plethora of electronics available is so much a privilege as it is a need.  It quite matches my view of electricity growing up compared to that of my parents'. 

There was a news report last night about 40,000 people stranded on the side of a mountain in Iraq.  They have the choice of either staying there, starving and dying or coming down off that mountain and being killed by a group of terrorists.  Their one fault:  They have a different religious faith from those who would and will massacre them, given the opportunity. 

Privileged?  Yes, in so many ways.  There is a tendency to think of money when one thinks of privilege.  While money can and does provide a lot of unnecessary luxuries and perks to those who have it, there are plenty of things that cannot be purchased.  One of those is that of being a citizen of this country and this nation.  It is one of the greater privileges given to any man. 

Upon returning home after spending time in Scotland as an exchange student I was struck by the fact that I had been created an American, a privilege given me by my Creator.  That, as a 16-year-old.

There is a world of people who would give anything to just be able to live their lives.  I am privileged that, thus far, I am able to do that, as are you.  In spite of all the rules, the laws, and the regulations in place by the powers that be, I do live my life.

Gratitude and thankfulness to my Creator are in order.