The 21st century can be a scary place. With snipers on the street, anthrax in the mail and the economy down the toilet, we can get so caught up in the world’s many problems that we often fail to realize how good things actually are.
But in commemoration of a group of hardworking pilgrims and friendly American Indians sharing a turkey dinner many Novembers ago (be sure to picture the happy 2nd grade version of the story you know, and not the much darker tale you learned in your American History seminar), we’re lucky enough to have one day set aside for nothing but reflection and gratitude. Thanksgiving comes but once a year, so I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few things with you that I’m grateful for, and why I think that the world isn’t such a bad place.
I’m grateful to be an American. I think that some heart-pumpin’, chest-thumpin’ patriotism is OK every now and then. Taking my daily stroll through Bruin Walk, I never fail to see someone bad mouthing the United States and its “fascist, oppressive, racist, sexist” policies. And while I know it’s en vogue for college students to protest anything you can honk a horn or sign a petition against, I wonder if these people ever take a moment to truly realize what they are protesting. Do they know that U.S. foreign policy, imperfect as it is, protects us from those who hate us and want to see us wounded? Or that U.S. economic policy is what helps provide them with the innumerable luxuries that they take for granted? Or that U.S. social policy, while still a work in progress, has given hope to millions of individuals who only a few years ago were hopeless? President John F. Kennedy said 40 years ago that the United States was “the greatest nation on God’s green earth”, and you know what? I couldn’t agree more.
I’m grateful to go to UCLA. Sure, we didn’t beat USC last Saturday, but it still means a whole lot to be a Bruin. Have you ever taken a moment during a basketball game to gaze at all the national championship pennants strung up around Pauley Pavilion, and realize the incredible legacy we have been handed? Have you thought about what it means to be the 3rd highest ranked public school in the country? There is no opportunity held from us at UCLA – we can join any club, compete in any sport, study any subject, or fight for whatever cause we want to. And all this for way less money than that other school across town. I was thankful when I got my acceptance letter, and I’ll be thankful when I get my diploma that I had the chance to be a Bruin.
I’m grateful for the million things that make life worth living. For my family, my girlfriend Sara, my friends, my professors, my scooter, my crew team, my cat Buffy, my Daily Bruin column, my TV, the 49ers, Oreo milk shakes from Jack-in-the-Box and much more. You have 364 days a year to worry about, stress over, and try to solve the world’s ailments. This Thanksgiving, between the turkey and the football and the mad cramming for finals, take a minute and give thanks for everything you have. If you do, then maybe the world might not seem like such a scary place after all.
Doug Ludlow’s column runs every other Wednesday.