EDITORIAL – Always something to give thanks for

A quick glance at the front page of any newspaper or the opening scene of the nightly news can… A quick glance at the front page of any newspaper or the opening scene of the nightly news can make it seem like we live in a hopelessly flawed world.

People are getting shot over petty disputes: in just the past month there have been shootings locally, at the Waterfront and in Oakland, as well as farther away.

The war in Iraq has cost thousands of soldiers and civilians their lives, not to mention the victims of suicide bombers in other countries.

Politically, the country is in upheaval. Bush’s approval ratings are dismal and his visits to South America and Asia have proven largely fruitless. The Supreme Court has lost two of its members; the process of replacing them has been trying for people of all political persuasions.

Natural disasters have swept the globe; thousands of other people lost their belongings, were permanently injured or died in hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Dismal though the outlook may seem, there is still plenty to be thankful for. Now, with a few days off from school and Thanksgiving just around the corner, is the time to remember that there is still a great deal of good in the world.

Though it is easy to get overwhelmed by the negative, everyone can find at least one thing in her life to be happy about.

After all, we still live in the world’s most prosperous nation. The things that we take for granted – clean drinking water, enough food, free public libraries, police officers and firefighters – are not guaranteed in other countries.

We have civil liberties – the law allows us to criticize the government and gather to protest injustices.

We are able to take a few years and work not just to simply scrape together some sort of living, but to become better educated and earn degrees. The coursework may be difficult, but the semester is nearly over and a few weeks of vacation are quickly nearing.

While we are at Pitt, we have access to doctors, counselors and advisers to help us with our health and our futures. We can get tickets to the symphony, attend poetry readings and visit museums when we have a few free hours. Being in the city, we have food to eat from every country and people from these countries to meet and speak with.

We have loved ones: parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, boyfriends, girlfriends and friends we can lean on when things get rough and celebrate with when they get better.

We have sights to see, jokes to tell, drinks to drink and lives to live. We have road trips to take, dogs to walk and old clothes to donate.

In short, we have a lot. We may as well be thankful for it.