Privilage and (Dis)Ability

This is a follow up to my last post.

There are several reasons why I'm careful and guarded about who I give my energy to, but one of the biggest reasons is that I am a highly sensitive and empathetic person. I read people's energy, and it affects my own very quickly. This is dangerous for me because I don't have much energy to begin with. If someone is full of joy and positivity, it overwhelms me and makes me feel numb. If someone is full of resentment and anger, it spikes my adrenaline and makes me feel weak and worthless. If someone is full of melancholy, I feel a kindred spirit that I'm safe around because I'm not being met with expectations from them. I need to be around calm, relaxed, and laid back people to feel my best. People who are full of drive and determination, want to be too helpful, want to solve problems, want to vent and let off steam, or just want to have too much fun all overwhelm me. This doesn't mean I don't respect when people feel these ways. I am not asking you not to feel these ways, I simply need to guard myself from these feelings to protect myself.

If you know me personally, you might remember I used to be someone eager to analyze the problems of the world and try to come with explanations to understand them, maybe even come up with solutions to solve them. I wanted to talk about politics, religion, world events, and major news stories. I enjoyed thinking through world problems so much that I pursued a degree in Theology.

I can't be that person anymore. I am so overwhelmed with living day to day in my own skin, that I'm unlikely to have an empathetic and caring response to any world problem. You tell me children are dying every day from starvation in that country? I put up a wall immediately. If I choose to give care to this statement I'll be too sick to function. The emotions will exhaust me. You probably expect me to want to talk about how to solve this problem, and then appeal to my empathy and ask for my help in putting a plan into motion, or at least complain about the people who don't help. I can't do this. I can't feel my heart break for every suffering person in the world. It will cripple me. I need my energy to go towards standing upright, talking, digesting, doing chores, working my part time job, managing my pain, and staying on touch with the most important people in my life. If you ask me to spend my energy worrying about dying children that I have no ability to help, you're asking me to not have energy to take care of myself.

You want me to support Black Lives Matter, join the Me Too movement, join a political camp to either praise or hate on President Trump, become an activist for a controversial organization like Planned Parenthood (pro-abortion) or First Choice Clinic (anti-abortion), have a strong vocal opinion on vaccines, participate in Pride events like parades, stand on my Capitol steps protesting injustice with you...

You want me to be what you want me to be, a soldier in your activism army, and you're not listening to me. Yes, I live in the USA, the land of "tolerance," yet with extreme amounts of intolerance. I live in the land of having the privilege to be tolerant or intolerant. You want me to use my privilege to stand up for or against something. You want me to use my privilege to solve problems.

I can't.

And you're not listening to me.

I don't have the privilege of having energy to participate in the world. I wish I did. I have a whole lot of care deep in my heart and soul that I want to give.

I am not a cold-hearted closed-off person naturally. It's not my nature to ignore problems. I respect my body and soul's need to be calm and restful in order to live my life to the fullest I can in this condition. I am going against my own needs if I choose to get riled up over world problems. I need you to go solve those problems for me. I'm going to give my love, support, and respect to those of you who use your privilege, a.k.a ability, to go solve those problems.

Because that's the definition of privilege: Ability.

Do you remember my post on "Ableism"? It's just another term for privilege.

So in other words, I don't have the ability to spend energy on solving problems in the world.

I want you to stop viewing me, a white female college educated adult living in middle class USA, as a person of privilege and ability. I want you to start viewing me and people like me the way you view all the other minorities you're so concerned about. I am in a minority, one that is grossly mistreated: The sick and disabled.

Thankfully, there are activist organizations who are rallying the privileged/ people with ability to help people in my minority group. Next time you're looking for a world problem to solve, please consider helping those who don't have the ability to help themselves.

These are organizations related to illnesses I have. Please consider using your privileged energy to care about world problems on these organizations:

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)
Millions Missing

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
Dysautonomia International

Endometriosis
Endometriosis Foundation of America

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Chemical Sensitivity Foundation 

I have wanted to write a post like this for a while, but I have worried about sounding like a fraud. I'm in a very good situation, considering I'm suffering from these illnesses. I have a good roof over my head, access to high quality food and water, husband and family who are very supportive, I am capable of working up to 12 hours a week (most of the time, I call in sick more than I like to), have been able to see really good doctors, and won my disability case. I have a lot more supporting me than the vast majority of people with chronic debilitating illnesses. I am extremely grateful, because I would still be 100% bedridden (if even alive) if not for all the privilege I have in my life to support me. I really want others with chronic debilitating illnesses that do not have this much support in their life to have more support so that they can be helped. This is my life goal now: finding help for the helpless in this minority group. These organizations make it possible. They help people who cannot win their disability cases despite being 100% unable to work, do not have family support, don't have roofs over their heads, do not have access to quality foods or water, cannot see doctors due to cost or accessibility, can't find a doctor to take them seriously and help them, and want to give up on life.

You want empathy from me? Give some to me and people like me too. I hope you understand why I'm too overwhelmed now. Thank you for listening.

The Problems of Privilage

Do you know what's hard for me to hear? That because I'm a privileged white USA citizen that my difficulties cannot compare to what impoverished people in other countries must face every day.

The statement is not fair. We are all born into different circumstances. Just because I was born into a country with wealth does not mean that I automatically get to take advantage of that wealth to make my life better. Wealth doesn't solve every problem, and it can actually create new problems. Life isn't about having wealth. Wealth ensures we have access to shelter and food, both of which are necessary to living life, but it doesn't ensure that we have health, love, joy, and purpose in life.

I deeply respect every human life. I want for every person ever born to have the right to a full life of health and love. My heart breaks for those who are born into a circumstance where they have no shelter or food, and life will never become easier for them. Does my situation compare to theirs? No. It does not. I say this while drinking hot organic tea, typing on a computer that I built myself because I'm educated, and enjoying the benefits of a new furnace heating my house.

That said, is it fair to say my problems are not valid? Should I eat all the food on my plate just because there are starving children in China? I'm so tired of the faulty logic about handling difficulties that is so prevalent. Just because I'm not as bad off as other people does not mean I can't experience difficulties that greatly impact my quality of life. Just because a child in Argentina is starving doesn't mean my problems don't cause me severe pain. If I could save that starving child's life I would do it in a heart beat! But I'll still be in crippling pain. I want everyone in the world who needs help living to be helped. What if that means I need help too?

Is the life of a starving child more important than an adult's life in the USA? You would assume the adult in the USA takes second priority because the adult should have access to health care and government assistance. That's often not the case. Health care isn't affordable, and going to a doctor could bankrupt the whole family and cause that family go to homeless. The adult in the USA might be living in a government subsidized apartment that is full of mold that is quickly deteriorating the health of that person, destroying their ability to live their life. What if the apartment this adult is living in creates worse quality of life than the homeless child has? All life should be treated as equal, right? So who should be the priority to help?

This is complicated. And I'm very angry about this topic.

When I'm told that there are people in third world countries with needs greater than mine, I feel invalidated. I feel unheard. I feel uncared for. I feel like I'm being told that you would rather feel sorry for people you will never meet, and likely will never send 1 penny to. If their needs are so important that you invalidate my needs, then why aren't you there helping them? I'm here right now. Help me. Help who you actually have access to and can help.

Most people do nothing, but are quick to try to verbally diminish problems.

So I challenge you:

When you meet someone in the USA with clothes on, a roof over their head, and food in their bellies who tell you that they are struggling with someone serious, take them seriously. Don't automatically dismiss them because someone else in the world is obviously suffering more. The more you dismiss people because you think they're not as bad off as others, the more we tear down a culture of support, love, and community. Life depends on support, love, and community. The more you dismiss people's problems, the more you help create new problems for the community you live in. Stop thinking globally when you can't even help on a global scale. Start thinking locally. How can you help reduce the problems in your own community?

If you're able to use your first world country privilege to travel to another country and help their starving children, then do that. The world needs you to help. But as for the rest of us? Our own local communities have staving children and adults too. We also have people who are not starving and have roofs over their heads, but are in serious need help. Don't criticize problems, just help where you can. Please. Thank you.