I am lucky to have won the Birth Lottery. There, I said it.
A good man with questionable taste in liquor once told me, "In life, you play the hands that you're dealt the best you can." Or something like that.
Out of 250 million sperm, I was the lucky one. My odds were 0.000 000 004%. So far, i'm in a commanding lead.
Then I was in a group of about 500 million out of 5.5 billion to be born into a good country in Western Developed Society.
A 9% chance, by the way and another point for yours truly.
No, I wasn’t born into the Kardashian or the Kennedy family (it's probably not so bad), this is a different kind of luck. Simply by being born into the USA or Canada puts us in a position as some of the luckiest people on earth.
Here’s why.
A good man with questionable taste in liquor once told me, "In life, you play the hands that you're dealt the best you can." Or something like that.
Out of 250 million sperm, I was the lucky one. My odds were 0.000 000 004%. So far, i'm in a commanding lead.
Then I was in a group of about 500 million out of 5.5 billion to be born into a good country in Western Developed Society.
A 9% chance, by the way and another point for yours truly.
No, I wasn’t born into the Kardashian or the Kennedy family (it's probably not so bad), this is a different kind of luck. Simply by being born into the USA or Canada puts us in a position as some of the luckiest people on earth.
Here’s why.
Considering over 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity. I’m aware of how lucky I am to be in a position to sit here with a roof over my head, a computer, an internet connection, and a command of the English language.
I mean, I just bought a book online while writing this AND got a service to find three rental car companies in Las Vegas that could rent me a Camaro for a day under $150.
Right out of the womb, families here have access to hospitals, education, and government assistance if things are tough.
In a lot of countries, people have to fight for their lives without any government giving them support. Actually, living on the government financial assistance alone already puts you in the category of being richer than most people across the globe.
70 million children do not have any access to education while kids here argue which app is better for their iPads. There are kids over in countries like Niger where the literacy rate is under 30%, and here many people take their ability to read and write completely for granted. Even if we are ruining language with the OMG’s and LOL’s, at least we can understand each other.
And if we can't, there's always Google Translate.
I realize the luck that came with being born here, and that's why I never try to complain. Out of all the places in the world I could have been born into, I understand the sheer luck of it being here.
I mean, I just bought a book online while writing this AND got a service to find three rental car companies in Las Vegas that could rent me a Camaro for a day under $150.
Right out of the womb, families here have access to hospitals, education, and government assistance if things are tough.
In a lot of countries, people have to fight for their lives without any government giving them support. Actually, living on the government financial assistance alone already puts you in the category of being richer than most people across the globe.
70 million children do not have any access to education while kids here argue which app is better for their iPads. There are kids over in countries like Niger where the literacy rate is under 30%, and here many people take their ability to read and write completely for granted. Even if we are ruining language with the OMG’s and LOL’s, at least we can understand each other.
And if we can't, there's always Google Translate.
I realize the luck that came with being born here, and that's why I never try to complain. Out of all the places in the world I could have been born into, I understand the sheer luck of it being here.
This is why it baffles me when people around me complain. Don’t they understand the opportunities here? We have advanced technology, long lives, libraries, internet access, the ability to move, transportations, rights as citizens, and everything else a powerful nation can offer.
I could create, build, write, and share anything I wanted because I won the birth lottery.
From my laptop in the comfort of my own home, I could: learn a language, start a business, talk to anyone across the world, or learn a new skill. There are people wondering if they’re going to be able to eat for the next few days while I have the world at my fingertips.
None of us who are born here should spend a second complaining, especially after being granted with such an opportunity to make any kind of life we could imagine for ourselves. Instead, we all should focus on how we can help others who may not be as lucky as we are.
What I see are a lot of people who want to complain, point out the shortcomings of living here, and generally be martyrs the whole time they’re here. We are blessed and have a lot of years to enjoy our time here, especially since the average life expectancy in the US is 79 and in Canada 82, while in countries like Sierra Leone it is 46.
Even if I didn’t have internet or electricity, I could go to any local library and receive both of them, for free.
While most people might want to complain, I already know how lucky I am.
The world is much bigger than the bubble I create around myself. But even I get lost in my own world, just ask my better half.
I would rather spend my time thinking about how I can take this blessing to go out and help people instead of dwelling on all the things I don’t have.
#thingsyouwontlearninschool
Sometimes I just like to reflect and give thanks for my place on this rock.
-MA
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