A. Sitting on a flight to Costa Rica, the privilege is overwhelming. Leaving a city overflowing with wealth (Austin TX) to arrive at a distant warm beach in the middle of winter just because I want to, with a Macbook on my lap and an expensive hiking pack, I am highly privileged. Downright rich.
B. When considering the situation through the scarcity mindset, however, I am far from privileged. I am panic-exiting a country that has proven too difficult to continue surviving in and this new destination with a lower cost of living is just another in a long series of survival attempts. The laptop is nine years old, purchased used, and semi-functioning. I am thankful to my friend for giving me the hiking pack, as I would not have been able to justify buying one. There is a warm tuna sandwich in it, the last of several that I had prepared for the trip and rapidly degrading. I will eat it later that night because I cannot justify buying something else (nor can I justify wasting food).
A. After considering the situation through this scarcity mindset, I find more privilege exists. I possess the knowledge and skill to use a computer to find the cheapest one-way ticket out of the US and the electricity and internet service to do so. I have an established bank account and $100 within the account with which to purchase the ticket. I have the freedom to spend this money on a flight instead of having to spend it on, say, diapers for a child that the State of Texas forced me birth by denying access to abortion services. I am free from other financial dependents, such as a bank-financed car or a leased apartment, which would equally demand that money. I have a friend who cares about me so much that she gave me her hiking pack. I have food, even if it is a sandwich that has been unrefrigerated for 24 hours. I had the guidance from a helpful postal worker in filling out the passport application, and the $60 to pay for it, and an address at which to receive the document.
B. Considering these privileges through the scarcity mindset again, I remember there is no escape from “earning a living.” I will always have to figure out how to survive, as most of us must. Changing geography does nothing but allow me to leverage USD against the local economy. Changing geography does not further me on my mission to liberate others, either.
A. And again I consider the privilege within this lens of scarcity. I possess the skills and knowledge to use the internet to find a nonprofit differently-abled dance troupe who needs help translating their website and the skills to meet this need. I have this opportunity which provides affordable room and board and meaningful volunteer work. I have the physical health to travel alone. I have another treasure – hope. And another – the knowledge that privilege and desperation exist as one and the same, depending on the perspective.