In times past, people didn’t have the time or luxury of wondering about the trivial events that they encountered because they were too busy trying to survive another day. Read Ben’s story about how he learned to appreciate what he had previously taken for granted.
Ben’s story.
Ben sat in his cosy apartment in London, scrolling through social media on his latest smartphone. As usual, his feed was filled with complaints: slow Wi-Fi, delayed online orders, who was offended by someone else’s opinion, which geriatric was running for president, and the usual griping about the newest release on Netflix or Amazon Prime. He sighed, feeling a familiar wave of dissatisfaction wash over him. Everything seemed so trivial, yet these were the problems that occupied his mind and seemingly everyone else’s, too.
The next evening, Ben decided to visit his grandmother, Edith, who he hadn’t seen for a while as she had been away in Ireland finding out about her ancestors. Edith was a vibrant 78-year-old with a wealth of stories. During their conversation, Edith handed Ben an old photograph. It was a black and white image of a young man standing next to a horse-drawn cart. The man wore a flat cap and a heavy overcoat, looking sternly at the camera.
“That’s your great-great-grandfather, Thomas,” Edith said, her eyes twinkling with the light of bygone days. “He was born in 1901.”
Intrigued, Ben asked her to tell him more. Edith began recounting stories of Thomas’s life, painting a vivid picture of the early 20th century.
“Thomas grew up in a small village in Ireland,” she began. “Life was hard back then. He worked on the family farm from dawn until dusk, with no modern machinery to ease his burden. There were no tractors, just horses and manual labour. Every day was a struggle to put food on the table.”
Ben listened, captivated by the stark contrast to his own life. Edith continued, describing how Thomas had witnessed the horrors of World War I as a young man and the Spanish flu pandemic that followed, which claimed millions of lives worldwide.
“Imagine living through all that,” Edith said, her voice softening. “And then came the Great Depression, where jobs were scarce and poverty was rampant. Thomas lost his farm and had to move to the city to find work, often labouring in dangerous conditions for meagre pay.”
Ben’s mind reeled at the hardships his ancestor had faced. He thought of his own complaints—his frustration when his phone battery died – the annoyance of waiting a few extra days for an online purchase. They seemed laughably insignificant now.
As Edith spoke of Thomas’s later years, surviving World War II and eventually seeing the world begin to rebuild, Ben felt a growing sense of gratitude for the era he lived in.
“We have so much more today,” Edith concluded, her eyes meeting Ben’s. “Healthcare, technology, electricity, opportunities. It’s easy to take it all for granted, but we must remember how far we’ve come and the sacrifices that were made by people who had nothing.”
That night, Ben returned to his apartment with a changed perspective. He no longer saw his daily inconveniences as problems but as minor bumps in a privileged life. He began to appreciate the comforts and advancements of the 21st century, realising how lucky he was to be born in a time and place where his struggles were so minor.
From then on, whenever Ben encountered a first-world problem, he thought of Thomas and the countless others who had endured so much more. He found himself becoming more patient, more grateful, and more understanding of the incredible fortune he had been born into.
P.S. Be grateful if you’re lucky enough to only have first world problems.
