I got those first world blues.

[dannyb]

Part one: I said, "That's just terrible!" after "ruining" two great boards in a row while sitting in my studio, surrounded by all of my "important" stuff, and sipping coffee.
Part two: I wondered what wine to have tonight with dinner.

Reminded me of what Willi Williams sang:

A lotta people won't get no supper tonight
A lotta people going to suffer tonight
'Cause the battle is getting harder
In this Iration, it's Armagideon

[Arabesque]

I hear you. It is a great privilege to have the resources and opportunity to feel frustrated over a poor performance on a Wordtwist board.

A friend of mine works at our local food bank. I don't understand quite how it works, but they end up with more food supplies than they can distribute sometimes (even though of course they give away everything the soup kitchens can take, and anyone at all, no questions asked, is welcome to take whatever they have to give out).

Anyway, for some unfathomable reason they have an excess shipment of "humanitarian aid" food packets from the US government that they are having trouble using up, which means she is giving them away to friends. So I have two packets, each purporting to be one day's worth of food for one person, sitting on my pantry shelf. In theory it should be a fun experiment to try them, but all I can think is, "Why aren't these in Gaza, where people are starving?"

[CardinalFang]

My mind was blown back in high school when I learned that most famines and other humanitarian disasters based on scarcity of resources almost always had more to do with problems of DISTRIBUTION rather than actual SUPPLY. And I agree with Arabesque: I know someone who works at a free-food offer center, and there often seems to be enough of a surplus of comestibles that people who aren't exactly in need can stock up.
dannyb-- thanks for reminding me that The Clash hit up some fantastic sources!

[lyannastark]

Do you acknowledge your privilege? Does it make you feel guilty about your minor frustrations?

[dannyb]

Do you acknowledge your privilege? Does it make you feel guilty about your minor frustrations?

I certainly acknowledge my privilege. Minor frustrations make me feel silly, but I wouldn't say that they make me feel guilty. I am far from wealthy, but I do feel extremely rich. I have a wonderful wife, we have our little home in the woods and we have good friends and neighbors.

[crazykate]

This is an interesting discussion. I'm currently studying for a therapeutic profession, and learning to break things down into basic human needs and wants, as well as how people process emotions. Being aware of your privilege and knowing that your basic needs are met doesn't mean that your emotions when confronted with "first world problems" aren't valid. You can learn to compartmentalise and not give trivial problems too much importance, which may help you feel more content. And if you are in a position to do so, you can try to use your privilege to live up to what you feel is your social responsibility.
Unfortunately, it seems to be the case that mainly people with a low to medium income have a "social conscience", and the very rich mostly look after their own. Can you imagine what would happen if the world's richest people stopped racing each other to the moon or buying private islands and humungous yachts and spent the same funds on food programs or medical research?
Not that I think that the rest of us should do nothing... If millions of just about comfortably well-off people help a little bit, the end result is nothing to be sneered at either. But sometimes it just doesn't seem like enough. And in some cases, having the funds doesn't help, like if an area is too unsafe or inaccessible even for help to get to where it would be needed... But we have to keep trying. Because that's what makes us human.
/Soapbox