These Students Learned the Most Powerful Lesson of Their Lives in 5 Minutes – University of Atlanta Explore, Educate & Evolve Campaign

You need to experience life in order to learn valuable lessons. But this is not the case every time as you need to be curious to learn from others too. You can easily learn valuable lessons from other people and apply them in your life. Here is a powerful lesson a high school teacher taught his students about life, privilege and the need for education.

Let’s Play a Game

The teacher told the students they will be playing a game and asked them to take a piece of scrap paper and start to crumple it.

Once the students were done crumpling the paper the teacher moved the recycling bin to the front of the class.

The teacher then said “the Game is pretty simple as all of you represent the population of our country and each one of you has an equal chance to move into the upper class and become rich.

What You Need To Do

All you have to do is throw your crumpled paper into the recycle bin without leaving your seat.

Immediately the students who were sitting at the back of the classroom responded that this is not fair as the students who are sitting in front have a better chance of throwing the crumpled paper in the bin.

But every student had to take the shot from the same position so they did.

Results

Very few of the students from the back managed to get their crumpled papers into the bin whereas almost everyone from the front row successfully made it.

Life is Unfair

The teacher then concluded that you have a better chance if you are closer to the recycle bin. But if you are not closer to the bin it is not your fault this is how life is. ‘It is unfair’.

Some Are Born Privileged

Did you notice that only the students in the back of the row complained? While the ones in the front did not, this is called privilege and this is how it works. Some people are just born into it and they are never aware of what privilege they have over others, the only thing they see is that they are close to their goals.

What is Your Privilege?

The University of Atlanta Explore, Educate & Evolve Campaign wants you to be aware of your privilege which is your ‘education’. At the University of Atlanta, we believe that you can use your privilege that is your education to get ahead of those who were born with privilege and this is how you make your life fair. Become a part of our campaign follow us on Facebook, Google plus, Pinterest and Twitter.