Thanksgiving

As we struggle through this last week or so of classes, most of us are clawing desperately toward Thanksgiving. For some of the class, it's probably the first time they're going home. I'm fortunate to live only two and a half hours away, so I went home for fall break as well. Still, there's something to be said about heading home for the holidays. With bustling sounds emanating from warm kitchens, to football on TV, to family walks through the dunes, the holidays season has always been a time of togetherness for me and my family. However, the true meaning of Thanksgiving, overlooking the slaughter and manipulation of a whole race of native Americans (which should never be "overlooked", but is duly acknowledged though it is not the subject of this essay)- the true meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks. Reflecting on all the different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic upbringings, and family networks of students here, I'd like to take a moment to be thankful for all my experience has provided for me, from a loving family, to a comfortable existence and ready access to education. The worldly events have made me so conscious of how safe and unassuming my life has been. Some populations in the middle east fear for their lives everyday. Many still manage to make a living and surround themselves in love and kindness. It pains me to live on such a pedestal, but one step to helping those less fortunate is acknowledging your place of fortune, as Macintosh pointed out in her essay. People are not just disadvantaged- that loss of power displaces to Anglo-Saxon Americans like myself. So when you give thanks and sit down with the people you love over break, take a second to recognize just how lucky we are. I hope everyone has a great break.