'Amazing Grace' Reflection

       "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol was a very humbling and emotional piece. The story really helped begin to open my eyes to the extent and degree of poverty and hopelessness in the United States. Although I have always been aware that I am privileged, I am only just beginning to realize how privileged I am, and what that really means. I take for granted the fact that I get to go to college, without even thinking about it. Most of these kids are barely making it out of middle school. I take for granted the fact that I could go outside and play with my friends as a child. I could walk down my street alone with no fear. I did not realize then that this is something to be grateful for. I realize now that not living in constant fear and desperation is a privilege in itself.
       It was heartbreaking to read this piece. There were moments when I found myself close to tears, really feeling for these people in this story. And then I realized that these are real people. This is not a story for them, this is their reality, every single day. They can't escape. When I'm done reading, I am going to pull out my own macbook, finish a school assignment and go to sleep in my own bed. I am not going to lock and bar my windows and doors, and I am not going to fear about waking up in the morning, as one father in this piece mentioned he does during the cold months.When I am close to tears reading this, it is even more difficult to imagine the magnitude of the horrible emotions that these people face everyday.
     But in spite of this, these people keep going. They have accepted that this is their life, and that it will not change. This is difficult to write, because I know that I am not going to be the one to change their lives. This is going to take a whole lot of time, and a whole lot of people. The people that inhabit these areas are not there by choice. These people had no other options, and are forced to do what they do to survive. And the fact that their voices are not heard, that they are ignored, is a horrific thing. They accept what they have and they make the most of what they have. Through depression, and hunger, and drugs, and extreme poverty, these people keep living their lives the best that they can, and I think that some of us more privileged societies can learn a thing or two.