"وقتی مردم به رفتار ترجیحی عادت می‌کنند، رفتار برابر مانند تبعیض به نظر می‌رسد"

Think about the last time you got a little extra something. Maybe at work, you received a bonus or special recognition for your efforts. Or at a coffee shop, they gave you an extra shot of espresso for free. Now, imagine that extra perk becoming the norm for you. You start expecting it, right? That's the core idea—when people regularly get treated better than others, going back to being treated the same as everyone else feels like they're losing out, like it's unfair.

This concept isn't new. It reflects a psychological phenomenon where our expectations shift based on past experiences. Historically, this has been evident in various social and organizational settings. For example, during the Civil Rights Movement, some groups who had long enjoyed privileges due to segregation felt threatened by the push for equality. They saw the loss of their preferential treatment as a form of discrimination against them, even though it was simply an effort to level the playing field.

Let’s talk about a detailed, vivid example. Picture a workplace where a particular team always gets first dibs on new projects, better resources, and more praise from the boss. They’re used to being the shining stars of the company. Now, a new policy comes in to ensure that all teams get equal opportunities. Suddenly, this star team feels slighted. They're no longer the automatic go-to for exciting assignments. They might grumble, feeling like they're being treated unfairly—even though, in reality, the treatment is now fair for everyone else.

So, how do we apply this wisdom in our lives? The first step is awareness. Recognize when you’ve been getting preferential treatment and understand how it might skew your perspective. Whether you’re receiving extra perks at work, school, or home, take a moment to appreciate them but don’t let them become your baseline expectation. Embrace equality not just for yourself but for others too. It’s about fostering a sense of fairness and empathy.

Here’s a relatable story to drive the point home. Imagine you’re in college, and for the past year, your professor has always given you extra time on assignments because you were juggling a part-time job. You’ve come to rely on this extra time. But now, the professor decides to enforce the same deadline for everyone, recognizing the need to be fair to all students. You feel stressed, maybe even angry, thinking, “Why is this happening to me?” But then, you remember your classmates—some of whom also have jobs and other commitments but didn’t get that extra time. Realizing this helps you see that equality is the goal.

In our daily interactions, it's crucial to step back and consider our expectations. Are we feeling slighted because we’re actually being treated unfairly, or because we’re no longer receiving extra perks? Adjusting our mindset to appreciate equal treatment rather than seeing it as a loss can help us build more fair and empathetic communities.

So next time you feel like you’re being discriminated against, take a moment—are you really being treated unfairly, or is it just that the preferential treatment you’re used to has been balanced out? Understanding this can change how we view and interact with the world. That’s real wisdom.