A confession on privilege

On privilege (benefited)
a male
first born
college educated with an advance degree
home owner/debtor
possess a personal computer a cell phone, a land line, a DVD player
a '95 Miata M edition (purchased use)
have good credit rating and a choice of credit cards
line of credit for both business and real property
participate in retirement programs (ROTH, IRA, 403B, Simple)
work with a financial adviser and an accountant
traveled to at least 2o countries in Europe (Ireland, England, Belgium,Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Austria), Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore), North America (Canada, Mexico), North Africa (Morocco), Near East (Turkey), Pacific (Palau, Guam)
level of achievement and recognition in field of work
network of friends spanning 3 continents, over one dozen states in the USA (MA, WA, HI, WDC, FL, NY, OR, CO, LA, MN, VA, GA)
traveled to NYC, Paris, Munich, Florence, Madrid/Barcelona for art and artist (painters: Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso, The Blue Rider Group, Velasquez, Raphael, Goya, Gaudi, Matisse, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Michelangelo)
developed an educated palette (wine, fine food)
listened to Maestro Leonard Bernstein conduct the Vienna Opera Symphony listened to a talk given by Noam Chomsky at MIT
a Regents Scholar as an undergrad and had less than 10K in student loans attended catholic high school, working to pay for tuition passable language skills in Tagalog, Spanish
parents have a college education
maternal grandparents college educated in Seville


in a (personal) context
of being an immigrant to the USA, unequivocally brown
known homosexual
an avowed socialist
parents who worked and retired as clerk and janitor
living in places I esteem as socially integrated
abide to precepts of reduce, reuse, and recycle


occupy multiple social identities, undeniably perceived and categorized by assumptions held by those within the milieu (personal view: arm chair scholar, activist, loved with abandon and wisdom, perceptive)


modeled and continually exemplified/practice developing virtues of generosity (goodwill), faith in basic goodness of humankind, dignity, truthfulness, courtesy, duty, kindness, social responsibility, perseverance, openness, fairness, loyalty, thrift, nuturance, altruism

Experienced near death and lost a friend to poisoning during a vacation
Lost 2 dear friends during the 2nd wave of the epidemic
4 years since fathers death, have a deeper understanding of who I am, my place in American society and a deeper abiding love of my brother, mother, sole blood nephew

What should my penance be
Feel guilty and experience internal conflict
Momentary joy filled daily life
Free of desire and longing
Free of illusions from what is possible and see what is at hand

Embrace personal frailty: anger, disappointments, want, limitations in the intellectual and creative realm, listlessness. A buddhist precept on suffering, acknowledging these traits as among the challenges in personal evolution.

Self knowing is parcel to intelligence. There is also responsibility shouldered by being more than adequate.

(c) danielt, 2008