My meeting with my supervisor was going well until I told her how much time I had left. When I told her, her jaw hit the floor. For some unexplained reason, she thought I had much more time left. She not-so-calmly told me that I would have to buck up if I wanted to finish on time. She asked me whether my participation in a two-week summer school in June was really necessary. She also told me that I should also not think about teaching at the university next semester, unless I really needed the money. I don't, and with that comes another reminder of my privileges. In the past few days, and in the past few months and in the past few years, I have come across three really bright, smart and kind people who are not so privileged as I.
But feeling guilty about my privilege is so pre-2017 me. There is no better way to atone for one's privilege--yes, it must be atoned for--than with kindness and hardwork. First, to be kind to myself, then to those around me, then to the wider world. And working hard throughout, and never for a moment forgetting that neither my successes, nor my failures, are my doing alone.
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