The Accountability of the Favored

Favoritism is often discussed from the perspective of those excluded, but Rabia's teaching calls equally to those favored. To receive preference carries responsibility—the responsibility to see it, name it, and use it in service of something larger than oneself. The favored are often blind to their advantage, interpreting it as earned or natural rather than as the result of arbitrary preference. This blindness allows favoritism to persist unchallenged. When the favored develop accountability—when they ask themselves how their position was created, who was displaced so they could advance, what obligation their advantage carries—they become agents of change. Rabia would recognize this as inner work: the humility to see one's privilege, the courage to speak about it, the generosity to redirect resources and opportunity. Practically, this means the favored might advocate for systemic change that benefits the disfavored, use their access to create space for others, or refuse to accept preference that seems unfair. The cost of avoiding this accountability is that those favored become complacent, defensive, and ultimately hollow—benefiting materially from a system they cannot consciously justify. Rabia's example shows that true integrity requires examining the ways we have been advantaged.