TRADING ONE LOSS FOR ANOTHER

 There is a fine line between teaching children the value of their circumstances and using those circumstances to trap them. While we often limit resources to help the next generation understand the worth of freedom, this approach is frequently pushed to a toxic extreme. When being grateful is used to justify injustice, it ceases to be a virtue and becomes a tool of oppression.

We often encounter individuals who claim we have more than we should, using our past successes as an excuse to diminish our current suffering. Even worse is the group that actively strips away your opportunities or your hard-earned efforts, only to tell you that you have no right to be angry or sad about what was taken.

This logic is as hollow as it is cruel. It is like a justice system that, upon hearing a parent’s plea for their murdered child, responds by taking their remaining child away—demanding they feel thankful for what is left rather than seeking justice for what was lost.

I have faced this manipulation for years. When I resigned from a harassing work environment to protect my well-being, I was met with a blacklist and told I should have been grateful for the job I had. This is a ridiculous double standard: you are told to accept abuse as the price for your position, and if you demand dignity, they attempt to ruin your future to prove you should have stayed silent.

This constant comparison is a tactic to force the adoption of, and submission to, harassment and bullying. It is an attempt to make the victim believe they deserve the abuse because of what they once possessed.

What these individuals fail to realize is that they are building a culture of silence. By protecting bullies and punishing those who stand up for themselves, they are eroding the foundations of justice for everyone. They believe they are safe behind their comparisons, but a culture that fosters injustice eventually turns on everyone—including those who helped build it.

True gratitude cannot exist where there is no justice.