Is That A First World Complaint?

Is that a first world complaint?

I heard this question the other day and it stopped me.  What a great way to look at a problem or some other inconvenience.

Stuck in traffic? That's a First World Complaint.

Not enough time to go to your kid's sports activity and catch the new movie? That's a First World Complaint.

People who live in Third World Countries don't have these problems. They have Third World Country problems.

They deal with things like war, disease, famine. They are overpopulated and end up with food and water problems. They constantly struggle with starvation, drought, extreme thirst, hunger and malnutrition.

These countries are dirty too. One out of every five kids under the age of 5 dies from a water-related disease.


These poor kids deal with problems around child labor in mining and manufacturing. Many are forced into slavery which is a $32 billion dollar industry.


In Third World Countries only about 25% of people have any access to the internet. If I lose the Wifi in my house for 15 minutes, fixing it becomes the highest priority over anything else.

So, the next time your stuck in traffic, find your item out of stock at the grocery store or your coffee not made to your liking at the local coffee shop, ask yourself if that's a First World Problem.

You are lucky to have those problems and not the problems they have in Third World Countries. To understand how lucky you are to even live in this country read "Do You Know How Lucky You Are?"