When people use the expression, “first-world problems,” I want to punch them in the face! If you go to the root of any so-called “first world problem,” you will find problems that go much, much deeper. We are facing some serious problems in our so-called first-world:
- Environmental issues
- Losing access to clean water
- Cops killing innocent youth
- More guns than people
- Daily stresses of taking care of children
- Daily stresses of taking care of adults / family members who are ill
- The majority of us has some form of mental illness
- The majority of us has some form of chronic illness
- The politics right now in our country are terrible, and people are protesting in the street to fight it
Here are some “first-world” problems I found on the internet. I will show why they really aren’t first-world problems:
- “Having a runny nose” – Health is a universal problem.
- “Not finding anything you like when clothes shopping” – Time is limited for all of us. We all die. And maybe you don’t have enough money, or you are embarrassed about how you look in clothes?
- “Getting our coffee at Starbucks” – Terrible traffic before and after a long wait in line to get a beverage you can barely afford before getting to work and getting yelled at because you are late, working all day in rough conditions, then returning at night returning to a miserable home life. Why is this considered first-world?
- “a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear” – You are judged by how you look. Your image is your currency. If all your clothes look bad, you may not survive as easily.
- “It’s hot outside but freezing in the office” – the waste of air conditioning contributes to global warming, which will affect all of us. Our planet will be virtually unlivable in like 30 years, partially due to too much a/c.
- “A pulled muscle after exercise” – Pain is a step on the ladder toward death.
- “My living room is too big for the hand-woven rug that I want” – Is your house too big because you feel small and miserable? Sadness and wanting to belong are universal human conditions.
- “I have no place to keep my leftovers because the refrigerator in my 5-star hotel is exclusively for minibar beverages” – You got me there…