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Whether we like it or not, we’re all privileged. In different ways. In different amounts. But we’ve all got some type of advantage over others. And sometimes… sometimes we don’t even realize we’re privileged. No, not in the classic way you’ve probably read about on the internet! Some privileges don’t actually sound like privileges so some folks don’t realize that’s what they are. In other words, they’re ‘invisible.’

Redditor Woo_loo asked their fellow online users to name a privilege that most people don’t realize is a privilege and their thread went viral. From pointing out that feeling safe in your own home is something a lot of us take for granted to having the ability to read or even a bed to sleep in, some of these responses hit home hard with the simple fact that we take so many wonderful things for granted.

Have a read through some of the best responses that redditors have answered with and upvote the ones you agree with 100%. And be sure to read on for Bored Panda’s interview with the original poster of the thread, redditor Woo_loo themselves.

#1

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Not knowing what war actually is like

Man-X98 , Lukáš Trstenský Report

#2

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Living without constant physical pain. The idea that most people just exist without nonspecific pain is baffling to me.

booklovinggal19 , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Mrs_ Possum
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And worse, invisible pain that people label you as somehow 'dramatic' or 'weak' for suffering from if you mention it. Been there, done that, been ridiculed for having a bad day 😬 Be kind, ppl.

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#3

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Feeling safe in your own home. Not worrying about rats, mice, roaches, bed bugs, bricks being thrown through windows, violence outside, break ins.

soccer_trekkie , Andrea Piacquadio Report

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varwenea
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Earned my way to achieve this privilege. This was my youth that I managed to climb out of.

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Woo_loo’s thread got 12k upvotes on the r/AskReddit community, over 7k responses, as well as a whopping 92% upvote rate. What’s more, the redditor got 58 medals for their efforts in bringing such an important and intriguing discussion to the forefront.

Redditor Woo_loo was very open with Bored Panda about what inspired them to create the thread and the fact that they didn’t expect their submission to “blow up like this” on the net.

#5

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being able to hold the hand of your partner in public without harassment or the fear of something bad happening to you.

weekendweeb , Anna Shvets Report

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#6

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Waking up and just being able to see. What’s that like? No glasses, no contacts. Just wow.

professional_amatuer , Nataliya Vaitkevich Report

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Phoenix
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve had my glasses for such a long time I can’t remember when my vision wasnt so blurry. Got them in second grade, am now almost to college and I’m told they’re so bad that I probably can’t get the laser surgery thing.

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Woo_loo explained to us that what inspired them to turn to r/AskReddit with their question was their line of thinking about all of the things that we have but we’re not constantly aware of.

“I was thinking about how people always say that we should be grateful for things like clean water and education so I wanted to know what else we were taking for granted that isn’t talked about,” they said.

#7

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being able to walk alone, especially at night, without any worry at all.

llcucf80 , Andrea Piacquadio Report

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Noez 🇸🇪
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never done that. And I almost LOL:d at that thought before I realized how sad it was.

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#8

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having a bed. When I was ages 8-11, my siblings and I had to sleep on the floor because we lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment.
I remember turning twelve and finally getting to sleep in my own bed after three years of not having one. It was euphoria.

averyfragilegirl , Erick Palacio Report

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varwenea
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There was a scene in "The Blind Side" where Michael said he never had one of those before. The mom asked - A room? He answered - No, a bed. I felt a stab to my heart instantly.

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#9

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having an emotionally mature parent.

anonymous , Anete Lusina Report

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Tiredpossum
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

still don't have one. I still have to live with them tho. I'm not that old

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In the redditor’s opinion, all of us, no matter how rich or poor, happy or miserable, all of us have something to be grateful for. However, Woo_loo pointed out to Bored Panda that they don’t expect that anyone’s constantly thinking about their privileges and how much they appreciate them. Imagine how exhausting it would be to always be grateful for hundreds of small wonders, every hour of every day. There wouldn’t be any time for living and making great experiences.

#10

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Sleeping through the night

pressonshop2020 , Ivan Oboleninov Report

#11

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being in countries where you are able to speak insults to, openly criticise or question authority without going to jail

Mardanis , Thomas Lin Report

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Within reason (excluding threat to life/well-being of others) we have freedom to express ourselves in the UK... I think that with free speech comes the responsibility to respect others' point of view too.

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#12

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Fresh water from the tap. Imagine living in rural Africa. Or Flint, Michigan.

gozba , Daria Shevtsova Report

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I want cake
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I grew up in rural Africa, and our tapwater was as clean as you could want it. On the other hand, for the first four years we only had electricity twice a day for an hour, but we made it work.

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One of the things that Woo_loo believes (especially after reading through all of the plentiful responses that their question received on Reddit) is that we’ve all got a responsibility to help those in need and those in a worse position than ours. In short, the redditor is a humanitarian with a very honest desire to lend others a helping hand.

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#13

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having pets. So many people discard them like they're playthings over the most mundane reasons.

Tarantulette , Sam Lion Report

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love my two cats- they are my chosen companions and would NEVER treat them like a non-living possession. I HATE when people do that. The only thing I control is their access to outside- too many unvaccinated cats in my neighbourhood. I also make sure they have enough good quality food, clean water and litterbox. (PS the eldest of the two is sitting on the desk next to me at this moment, keeping an eye on me).

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#14

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them A hot shower every day

hoppenstedts , Armin Rimoldi Report

#15

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being healthy instead of disabled and chronically ill.

jesusislord67 , Andrea Piacquadio Report

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Aayse
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

health is everything and you never get it until you are sick

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“We should try to help people acquire the privileges that we take for granted and be a lot more aware of it. Not everyone has the same chances in life but we can make it as fair as possible,” the redditor opened up to Bored Panda, alluding to the idea that we’ve all got to do our best to ensure that society lives by the principle of equality of opportunity.

#16

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having a family that loves you. I grew up in a pretty loving family. It was somewhat dysfunctional, to be sure, but my mother loves me as does my sister. So did my grandparents. We were always a close family and we helped each other when possible. We were always supportive too.

I went to school with people whose parents couldn't have [cared] less about them. I mean straight up, just didn't give a [damn] if their kids lived or died. If your parents actively tried to keep you off drugs and off the streets and were emotionally supportive and not abusive, count your blessings.

CDC_ , John-Mark Smith Report

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varwenea
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom worked numerous hours at dead end jobs, never saw me on weekends cuz she's working, but I knew she loved me.

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#17

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Honestly, Memory.

When Alzheimers hits, your brain is basically dead. That disease is heartbreaking for every party involved

daniscooked , Laura Fuhrman Report

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Marette
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work with people with dementia. It is indeed heartbreaking, especially for their family who are now seeing a beloved parent that often doesn't recognise them, is aggressive, distressed or has reverted to a child-like state & can no longer feed or even toilet themselves. My 'privelege' is that both my elderly parents are healthy in body & mind... I give thanks for this every day & never take it for granted.

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#18

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being conventionally beautiful

It gets you more than dates. It influences prison sentences; attractive people are less likely to get convicted, and more likely to get lighter sentences when they are convicted.

Job interviews, assessments of intelligence and academic performance are all biased to favour good looking people. They are also more likely to benefit from kindess from strangers

IdaBaldwin , Anthony Tran Report

If you’re not familiar with equality of opportunity as a concept, it’s all about making sure that everyone’s able to compete for social status, as maintaining high social mobility. Or, in other words, it’s all about looking at people’s merits, efforts, and skills, not the social position they were born in. To sound all pop-culture for a moment, I’ll say that equality of opportunity is the rags-to-riches myth that the American Dream is built on.

#19

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being able to read.

dahopppa , RF._.studio Report

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked in education for a good chunk of my life and saw firsthand what low or no literacy can lead to... I had young people at age 16 who could barely string a sentence together and had great difficulty accessing the information they needed to learn successfully. I could provide simplified texts for them but even those were beyond their abilities... I'm sure they've gone on to struggle in life because of it.

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#20

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having friends.

Famasitos , Helena Lopes Report

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Laura Maeflower
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is so true. I spend most of my teens with no friends. I've seen girls/women with their group of friends and to this day I envy how easy it is for them and how lucky they are to have those friends.

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Dilara Açar
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm really blessed with friends I have, even though I am shy and have anxiety, I have lots of good friends.

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Shelby P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the one for me. I try but I am so sensitive that it's just easier not to.

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Curry on...
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom told me if I can claim one true friend to consider myself blessed. I have three.

soniw avatar
soni w
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've got 2. Don't need anymore and I'm so super grateful for them

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David Retsler
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even I have friends. It's really not that hard. It just takes time.

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Dillon Hughes
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't have any... I'm cool with it people are mean... not pandas!

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grey galah
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh Come ON! people have friends in 3rd world/developing countries

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#21

Being able to live with your parents past the age of 18

anonymous Report

In Woo_loo’s opinion, having access to clean water and proper education are the most basic privileges that absolutely everyone should have in their lives. Without them, you’re barely surviving. “Dirty water can result in many problems that most of us don’t have, but I also think that education is the most important because it's the backbone of society and people need it to improve their lives and establish a better place to live in.”

#22

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being a person of average height.

sumitsaxon , cottonbro Report

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Deborah B
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being a man of average or greater than average hight. Short men are discriminated against more than short women. For women the reverse, small is 'petite, delicate, cute' above average height, there's discrimination.

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#23

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Not having social anxiety. Imagine how breezy life must be. The amount of effort I have to put into doing normal things like checking out at the grocery store is incredible. I keep telling people that I got better over the years, but it's not so much that social interactions get less scary but more like I'm better at getting ready for said social interaction... or better at pretending that I'm uh, "normal." I'm almost 30 and I still feel like a seven year old who's mom left them at the grocery line to grab something real quick.

Kuneria , Andrea Piacquadio Report

#24

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having indoor plumbing

Evil-ish , Anna Shvets Report

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A.M. Pierre
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once met a couple from a small village in Siberia. They didn’t have indoor plumbing or central heat, but they said it was okay because “we have warm sleeping bags”. 😳 I have never felt so wimpy before.

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The redditor candidly shared their opinion that we should all stop acting like all of these privileges, small and big, don’t exist. “Everyone has some kind of advantage in life that others don’t and I'm not talking about the privileges that people talk about on Twitter to cancel someone, but the ones that are so natural to us that people don’t even realize that they exist.”

#25

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them No student loans. Don't take it for granted guys.

SJ21x , Tim Gouw Report

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends on where you're living. In most countries loans are indeed loans which are pretty easy to pay back. In other countries they will be an eternal burden because you have to pay off 3 times more than you've ever loaned.

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#26

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Having a roof over your head.

Those that work jobs that don't make a living wage have no means to provide for it. Thus they are forced in to unsafe slums or having house mates.

Every day when I pull in to my drive way I reflect on this daily. There is something to be said about the peace of mind knowing you have a welcoming home waiting for you once your done work.

Like many things we grow accustom to having something with no expectations of change, this is something I'm always grateful and respectful of.

anonymous , Maria Orlova Report

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El Dee
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was homeless for a short period but in my country that means I never had to spend a night on the streets. My local authority provided emergency furnished accommodation until I found a place a few months later. So grateful for that..

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#27

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being able to complain about getting bored/not being able to socialize during a pandemic. If you're able to flourish or even live comfortably during these times, that's a privilege.

TonyStark39 , Nandhu Kumar Report

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whenever I read an article about people having terrible times because of lock downs and quarantaine, I just imagine being in a war where on top of having to stay indoors, you are cold and hungry, you can get picked up in a razzia, get shot for no reason or get bombed. And suddenly a lock down doesn't seem so bad at all.

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Woo_loo continued: “By making life as fair as possible and establishing a system that helps people who are at the bottom of society and helping them get back on their feet instead of punishing them, we can help them acquire the privileges.” Are you up for the challenge, dear Pandas?

#28

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Education. Where I'm from education is paid through (very high) taxes. We even "get paid" so we can focus on school and not being forced to drop out or take a giant student debt.

ieatpotatoesraw_ , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I personally believe that young people should be educated for free whichever route is deemed most suitable for them (apprenticeship, college, university...): we also need to stop stigmatising non-university learning. Not everyone is interested in or capable of studying at that level!

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#29

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them my partner has to use IV nutrition because her stomach muscles don’t work properly preventing her from digesting food. Until I met her I never considered being able to eat as something i’m lucky to have.

whatsmynamefrancis69 , insung yoon Report

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Sasha Kuleshov
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your intestines wriggle your food down without you even noticing, that's mind blowing O_O

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#30

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being able to go to a store without worrying if your wheelchair can fit through the aisles of if they have front steps.

Moonlight713 , AR Report

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Botox
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's start with being able to leave your house without help, because there's only a staircase!

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Do you think that all of these things are privileges that most people don’t realize are privileges? Why do you think we tend to take so many of these for granted? How many of these privileges do you have without noticing them in your daily lives, dear Pandas? Share your thoughts and any extra examples of unseen privileges in the comment section below.

#31

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being able to work from home.

AlterEdward , olia danilevich Report

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varwenea
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Suddenly, many people can due to the pandemic. Hopefully, some will continue to do so.

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#32

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Reliable electricity and clean running water.

RamenNoodles620 , Burst Report

#33

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Therapy. Any basic mental health coverage.

wendyneff , Emma Bauso Report

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El Dee
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is terrible, how can a first world country deny its populace healthcare based on their wealth. Poor health is one of the leading reasons for poverty, it's a vicious circle..

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#34

35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don't Notice Because They Have Them Being mentally healthy. Basically, my childhood was such that as an adult I have an overactive amygdala - the part of the brain that handles strong emotions and instincts like fight/flight.
As I’ve gotten treatment and medication, and as my situation has gotten better, I’ve had quite a few ‘whoa’ moments where it really hits me that this is how a lot of people naturally see the world.

Sanguine_1 , Andrew Neel Report

#35

A steady income, even one that means living paycheck to paycheck. You have money to support yourself and the means to get assistance where you can. A lot of people don’t have that.

RosesAndPonds Report

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Mewton’s Third Paw
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most people don’t, and it’s terrifying! Your whole life changes when this isn’t the case.

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