A Privilege We Never Notice

I recently noticed something that seemed insignificant at first. My sister caught a cold. It was in middle of a hot season. While she struggled with sneezes and a heavy head, I sat comfortably eating ice cream without a trace of discomfort. That small contrast made me realise how privileged I am in ways I had never considered before.

For me a cold is rare. My body resists it and allows me to enjoy food, weather and simple moments. But for her and for many others, life is shaped by the limits their body places on them. Imagine living in a cycle where a slight shift in weather or a small indulgence in food immediately punishes you with hours or days of unease. Carrying tissues everywhere, skipping outings because the body refuses to cooperate, avoiding what you like to eat because you know it will only make you sick again.

When you look closely, a cold is no longer just a cold. It shows how fragile human experience can be and how unevenly it is distributed. We often associate privilege with money, opportunity or social position, yet good health is a form of privilege that we rarely acknowledge. The ability to walk out in rain, eat what you like, or sit under a fan without worrying about reactions is something many cannot do. Health divides people and also it decides the quality of life more than we admit.

This also makes me think about how casually we ignore sickness. We tell people to be strong, to get over it, to stop making a fuss. while on the other hand we enjoy the luxury of resilience that was simply handed to us by genetics or chance. We do not earn this immunity, yet we treat those without it as though they are lacking, and that is the deepest irony.

Health often goes unnoticed until it begins to slip away. A human body free from constant discomfort is not just normalcy, it is wealth. If something as minor as a cold can shift our entire mood and routine, then what does it say about the value of being able to live without such interruptions. And in the rush of everyday life, are we truly recognizing how extraordinary it is to simply feel well?