YOU ARE ALL BORN PRIVILEGED AND THIS IS WHY

If we spent as much time talking about Chagall, Picaso, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Marina Abromovic, Renata Tebaldi, Mozart, Nietzche, Wagner, Warhol, The Beatles and every other great artist that ever lived instead of the tanned political figure I refuse to name any more - we would realize how privileged we actually all are - ALL are.

That's right, not just straight white males, or cis gendered blah blah, or other terminology I am not completely familiar with, but absolutely everyone who does not live in parts of the world facing grinding poverty. So basically use the phone test. If you have a cell phone - you don't live in grinding poverty.

I'm pulling no punches here. So trigger warning here (which should encourage you to keep reading).

Wake up. Life is hard and unfair. Like really unfair. You have two options.

1) Complain until something changes.

2) Change yourself, open your mind, learn to ignore the haters and act as an agent of progress.

The haters...so much time is spent focusing on making everyone an Angel. Reality check. Douchebags and jerks will always exist. ALWAYS. And don't be so sure you can't be one yourself at times...

Let's focus less on the talking point of all the debt we will inherit, or the wars that will happen in the future. If it does, its on us and its all our faults because let's realize ALL THE ART, KNOWLEDGE, AND TECHNOLOGY WE HAVE INHERITED...and mostly do nothing with.

SCENE CUT

"omg we inherited all of western cultures knowledge!"

"yeah man"

"but wait...theres more..."

"how?"

"theres this thing called the internet, that pretty much everyone has and you can access anything that has ever been said by the greatest thinkers, scientists and artist. ever."

"ever."

"no way"

"way"

Alright - I'll let go of some sass. I'm not actually upset, more excited! I've always been pulled towards art and music, ever since I first watched Amadeus with joyful glee and attempted to write my own Requiem (which was really bad).

My journey through classical music led me to appreciating the great novelists and artists of the time. The first time I visited Italy, all I wanted to do was visit every church and museum in Florence and marvel at the staggering achievements of the human intellect and spirit. Buildings dedicated to the potential of life, while being able to act as agents of war and hate in one of the most brutal periods of human history.

You may ask, well what does that matter to me?

That's fair, but think about it this way.

You are born in a time where access to information is as easy as a click of a button. Not a good reader? Doesn't matter. You can digest heaps of information on YouTube from your favourite thinkers and artists. With MasterClass videos available with the worlds best playwrights, actors, musicians, entrepreneurs, tech guys, and so much more. If you organize yourself properly, you can learn essentially everything you would at University.

There's really nothing more you can ask for...the only step further is to be born with or given every ability you desire - which is absurd. Silver spoons are really appreciated or capitalized on anyway.

Privilege is the opportunity to learn, but it's up to us to grab that opportunity. Don't buy the notion that people are born into success - the slightest bit of investigation will lead you to believe otherwise. You will have challenges and people blocking you, for whatever reasons that are not really important. What is important is that you can arm yourself with knowledge 24/7. Instead of binging the next big thing on Netflix, or Overwatch tournaments, spend the night with Puccini - try to understand the process and drama behind his work.

Spend the night with Nietzche or Aristotle.

Spend the night with our modern contemporaries, Jordan Peterson, Or Robert Greene.

Have a coffee with John Lennon, or Stravinsky.

Process the information. There is a Chagall exhibition happening right now in Montreal. 15$ to see art worth millions. Art fills you with wisdom that is completely priceless...and if you go far back enough, it's available for free. It provides historical context that helps you understand where you stand in the annals of history, and where to move forward. Would Steve Jobs be who he was without the artists who influenced him? Or Albert Einstein with the violin?

The internet has essentially served a similar function as the printing press, which is what triggered the renaissance, because everyone started reading and information became more and more easily accessible by their standards. This is why we have had an explosion of wealth, art, and music. More people are creating today more than any other time in history - because it's so easy to access (not easy to do).

I'm not saying to become an Artist tomorrow - all I am proposing is to take advantage of the next exhibition that comes to town, or the next opera, or the next play. Look up great artists of the past and try to challenge yourself in understanding what they were after, no matter how much you might disagree. I promise you will leave the whole experience a bit more wise, hence a bit more privileged, and wisdom knowns no border, gender or race.

also reasons.