Privilege versus a right

By Rennie Phillips

Been thinking the past several months about a "privilege" versus a "right." Two similar topics but so connected in many many ways. I did a search on DuckDuckGo and came up with a definition as follows: "A privilege is a special entitlement granted to a restricted group or person, either by birth or on a conditional basis, and can be revoked. By contrast, a right is irrevocable and inherently held by all human beings." So when you check the definition, a privilege can be granted and withdrawn, while a right is forever and can't be taken away. One then is temporary and the other permanent. Kind of brings the differences into focus.

Growing up in Nebraska on a ranch I felt was a privilege. Since it was a ranch, Mom and Dad raised cattle for a livelihood. They milked a bunch of jerseys to help make ends meet, but their main income was from raising Hereford cattle. Dad always had a few horses for us to ride and mess with. We also had some cats and at least one dog. Our closest neighbor was about two miles from us. You could go out at night and turn off the yard light and it was absolutely pitch black outside. I used to borrow the telescope from the high school and watch the stars and the moon. It was a privilege growing up there in Arthur County in Nebraska.

I met Marge while attending college at Chadron, Nebraska. I buddied around with some of the cowboy types at school and Marge did as well. We dated for a while and decided to get hitched the next fall. A couple of years later we decided to go ahead and have a baby so Marge ended up having our first son and two years later our second son. I have always felt it was a privilege to be married to a woman like Marge but also to having two boys like we have. It is a privilege.

Most every man can father a child and most women can give birth to a child. But some fail to realize it's a privilege to be a parent. Some would say it's a right but, I disagree. Some shouldn't be parents. My wife and I have always felt it was a privilege to raise two good boys into manhood. It has been a joy watching them mature, find good jobs and then grow up, if you will.

Sometimes the difference between privilege and right get kind of muddied up. I believe it's everyone's right to get a good job. No one should be barred from getting work for any reason. I went to high school with a gal who to me didn't seem like a tomboy at all. Not in the least. But she ended up being a welder on a pipeline I believe in Alaska. She was given the opportunity because it was her right but she earned the privilege to work on the pipeline because of her performance and work ethic.

Color or sex or race or religion shouldn't be a limiting factor so everyone should have the right to about anything. However a few will earn the privilege of doing something more or special. A group of individuals wants to be jockeys. They range in size from 5 foot tall up to almost 7 foot tall. Those around 5 foot range in weight from about 100 pounds up to 200 pounds. The tall ones range in weight from about 170 up to 350 pounds. Simply because being a jockey requires a small light person, only a handful will be given the privilege of becoming a jockey. But in the same way the one who is right at 5 foot won't make it on the professional basketball court where most players are well over 6 feet tall.

I have always loved the idea of flying an airplane but not just any airplane. When I was younger the X15 was in its heyday. How I'd have loved to fly that plane. The X-15 was a rocket powered aircraft operated by the USAF and it set all kinds of speed and altitude records. The X-15's official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a manned, powered aircraft, was set in October 1967 when it reached a speed of 4,520 miles per hour. But it also reached an altitude of 102,100 feet which is just over 19 miles high. Passenger planes normally fly around 40,000 feet high which is about 7 miles high. That is a long way up there. I had the right to try but too many factors never gave me the privilege of becoming a pilot on the rocket plane.

I wonder if the confusion comes in is when we don't take the right and work on it, improve ourselves, study and prepare so that when the opportunity presents itself, then we can have the privilege. A good friend of mine is going to school to become a registered nurse. Everyone has the right to be an RN. But just because one has the right doesn't mean they are automatically handed an RN diploma. My friend is going to school, hitting the books, doing the book/study/scholarly part while at the same time working. When he gets the requirements fulfilled to be given an RN diploma, he will have the privilege of being an RN. This he earned.

I don't fly very often but when I do I want those pilots to have earned the privilege of being a pilot. Everyone has the right to become a pilot but a select few, regardless of color or race or sex or whatever, have earned the privilege of being given a set of wings and can safely fly an aircraft. Back when I was going to college in McCook, Nebraska, one of my friends flew a small two-passenger plane. He sat in front and I sat directly behind him. When we left the ground the first time I thought my rear end was in his hands. He had earned the privilege of being a pilot. When we got home that evening we took some sunflowers off the wheels.

Just because we have the right doesn't mean we automatically have the privilege.