I'm slowly getting fed up with having to justify myself for everything in this weird society.
Where does it say that you have to justify yourself?
"Weird society" - Well, we only have this one, but I hardly know any that would be better or one in which I would rather live, or you?
I don't consider myself privileged, I have never received anything as a gift or inherited in my life.
Never received a gift? Sad. Neither inheritance nor gifts are forbidden or reprehensible.
There are millionaires/billionaires with an extremely high social conscience who voluntarily give a lot of money and time back to society, and low earners who would kill grandma over €10. Financial status says absolutely NOTHING about a person's social behavior. I don't care at all whether someone received their money as a gift, inherited it, or worked for it, hard or easy, no matter. He/she should simply behave as socially as possible, whether wealthy or less wealthy.
Well, not so much at the moment due to short-time work, but there is also less money for that.
See above "weird society": I can name you a whole series of countries where the term "short-time work" doesn't even exist, and that alone is a privilege. Even though I do not make use of it, I find it good that such a thing exists. Homebuilders also benefit from the community fund, such as .....Kfw funds, Baukindergeld, etc., which is also okay.
On top of that, shift work, ask where I was on Christmas Eve? Or where I am today and tomorrow night.
That's just your job. You had the free choice of profession, so it should be okay. I also have 20 years of shift work behind me, chosen freely, and I enjoyed doing it. There were disadvantages but also advantages and I liked the package, otherwise I could have changed it. I now know quite a few who voluntarily work longer instead of retiring (10% surcharge). So it can't always be that bad, or the filthy lucre lures more than the work is bad. For example, I had Tuesdays off when others worked... so what...
Excuse me, I am a bit sensitive about this. I work in a highly qualified but low-paid/exploitative job (health sector!) and I lack the imagination what people mean when they say they work "hard". Is it about the number of hours (anyone in healthcare can easily put in that much), is it about responsibility? (anyone in healthcare can tell you about that). Is it about physical effort? (most healthcare workers can say something about that too), is it about emotional stress (most of us (including myself) can definitely tell you a story).
I had a job that society regards as hard (overrated), and we liked to complain a lot too. I enjoyed my job, it felt like my hobby, and I was not in a quiet office or far away from risky places but right in the middle.
BUT: if it had not suited me anymore I would have changed and paid the price for it. Some cannot imagine changing their profession, let alone changing their place of residence, some already lose it when they have to change offices (true!). I had a lot of changes and few paid off financially but the gained quality of life did.
Therefore, I like to recommend the classic to complaining people: "Love it, change it or leave it, otherwise be silent." Just having this option at all is a great gift.
It is also not the "privileged" people’s fault.
We should all simply realize that we are in a certain way "privileged," without necessarily feeling bad/guilty about it. That’s probably what this is more about, I think.
Working hard, taking responsibility, and taking risks are not currency, but they should pay off.
But in everyday life, unfortunately, this does not mean that with increasing responsibility the payment increases; often it is rather the opposite, that the simple electrician, bus driver, truck driver, or nurse/caregiver etc. bear high responsibility with low pay. A wrong decision or carelessness can have immediate deadly consequences, whereas from middle or upper management levels in various areas direct responsibility/consequences are often limited.
I envy no one anything and share the view of that all of us could often do with some humility and grounding, myself included, of course. surely also knows from experience better that high salaries alone do not make people more satisfied.