Is being priviledged a responsibility?

By Prakhar Rastogi

March 2, 2023

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Here, in India, when you go to the railway stations and most specifically in the general coach, it’s a common sight to see people begging, asking for help. Little children, adults, old age people, as there is no specific category of what I’m talking about. Just think about this when you are enjoying your ride in the train waiting for your station to come and then suddenly a little kid comes from around and touched your feet asking for money. Like mostly they ask for is money. While some people say that they do this for everyday and you know this is just their habit sort of. While let me be very clear that it is not important here that if this is what they do every day or not? what is important is that why they do this? why not their parents/ guardians stop this? This is definitely because of poverty and because they don't have resources for their bare minimum. While as a passenger, sitting on a train, you will just move on with this thought by giving some little amount of money and maybe will feel little bad about these kids and people. But isn't there any solution to fix this?

Seeing little ragpickers and kids working in a hotel or restaurant tirelessly for money, is again a very common sight in India and in developing nations. Why i think of being privileged as a responsibility? How can i fix this? Or, even what a tiny impact a single individual can make. I feel grateful for the resources that i have access to, like good education, food and shelter and most importantly i don't have to work in hotels in order to feed my family. I know it's little bit difficult to compare yourself with these kids who aren’t privileged. But this will make you feel that you have something to work for. To work part-time when you're in college is i think is important for having the feeling of being independent. while this is important, the context here is very different from those kids who are employed full-time in the hotels as a dish-washer or as a waiter. Why don't government look into this? In India, this is also because of huge population but this must not be a reason for this. While you think of being a billionaire like Bill gates, and then do something for the needy ones is a far distant dream. The time to take action is right now.

But anyways, What i feel like is that i must be of some little use to this world. My education and all this opportunity and privileges that i have must be of some good use to some needy people. I must say, that these people whom I’m referring to work really hard day-in and day-out to provide for their family. Like when sometimes on my way to my college when i pass through the little huts where little kids often play with sticks and stones and sometimes they break bricks with their whole family, i feel like, do these kids even know how fantastic it is to go to school , to make new friends and to learn so many cool things. Like imagination is being shaped when you know that this happens. for e.g. when you know that humans have conquered the moon 🌙, then you start to push your imagination and maybe add some extra spice into it. How much of an irony is this ? What some do not value ... other's die for having it 🙃 I must recommend a video by Nas Daily, about the "The most unfair dinner" , here is the link to it 👉 https://youtu.be/PruC9rhLG0c.