I watched Oprah + Viola: the Netflix Special Event. Oprah said that she thought she grew up poor until she heard Viola’s story of being poor.
I thought this was interesting b/c while we don’t want to compare and despair, we can compare to find what we DO have. And it can help lead us to compassion for others.
I love to find evidence; to prove it. We can draw any conclusion we want, positive or negative, and find evidence for either or both conclusions. (Like a Google search- put whatever you want into the search bar & you will find evidence to support it.)
Here’s how Oprah could compare her childhood to Viola’s: I was poor but not as poor as she was. I had running water. She didn’t. I was able to bathe. She wasn’t. I had plaster on the walls of my house. She didn’t. I always had a roof over my head. She didn’t.
There is always someone who has it worse off than you, even though it might not feel like it. So, if you’re going to compare, at least do it in a way that helps you see what you do have; in a way that better serves you.
