Passport privilege is a tricky subject to breech. It is all so arbitrary. I didn’t do anything to be born into the United States. I was just born and the perks of having a US passport are all that I know. Easily getting visas and having immigration officers simply stamp my passport instead of questioning me on the details of my trip is a luxury that not all others have.
I feel equal to all humans which is why I often go deep into a country, off grid, and live like the locals do. That doesn’t change the fact though that I can leave whenever I want. I can experience all walks of life and then go back home to a country where even a minimum wage job allows me to save up enough to travel for years at a time. I am extremely blessed and that is why I am not going to complain about how inconvenient this pandemic is.
It is, however, extremely humbling to be on the other side of passport privilege for the first time in my life. The United States has handled the Coronavirus so abominably with 4% of the world’s population but 25% of all Coronavirus cases. Understandably, many countries are opening their borders but not to US citizens.
It’s frustrating being banned from my chosen purpose in life but I also appreciate the experience of not being given everything on a silver platter when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. I’m not sure what my point is here. Yes, I’m privileged and I use it to my advantage to live this wandering lifestyle. I don’t agree with judging a person based on where they were born instead of the merits of their actions. However, this is the situation we currently live in and it’s eye opening once you notice how blessed you are. If you have never had a friend banned from entering a country that you can easily get into, maybe you didn’t realize how privileged you are.
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 