‘Eat the rich’ is an important concept, especially when directed at the billionaires and the people who detain the majority of the money.
But what about the small envies?
What about when a person, not necessarily poor, looks at someone that is only a
little better – not rich – and still envies their luck? It’s only relative wealth
at best, and I certainly don’t think that those people should lose it. I just
can’t help but feel a little sorry for not having it as well.
It’s the second-hand school supplies.
The lack of warm water at home to take a bath, because my family didn’t have
money for a time to replace the water heater. The second-hand clothes never in
fashion. The ability to have savings, because no matter how much my family
saved, no matter how much we even had – again, relative luck – of cooking at
home and eat for little money – it was always used to repair things long-due in the
house. The cellphones I never had until much later than my peers and still
always an outdated version. The art supplies I lacked, the means to get into
digital art that delayed my progress – for 10 years! - even though I was so
willing to put in the effort. The divorced parents and the eventual unemployment
of my mother that put more pressure into making me the only person sustaining
the household, a role I knew I would assume even when I was just studying.
And I know without a doubt that I’ve
had many things that other people lack and wish for. They are definitely within
their right to envy me in those regards – that’s not the point of this post, and I don’t want to pity people against
each other. This is just a reflection on the many times I felt the sting of
injustice and economic difficulties. They brought me to tears, sometimes, even
though I concealed it and my discouragement was brief. They still do.