Very recently, I’ve made a strong decision to value every breath of air I get. This really changes the aspect of life, because when you value what you have, you begin to cherish the happiness and satisfaction even out of the smallest things, because it may be something that someone else would never be able to have their whole life.
One main problem here in the USA, is how I’ve noticed that many people take everything they have for granted. This is mainly because of the wealth of the country, and how it has all the latest advances and technology.
I’ve also many times noticed how pointless it is to complain about such small things that you don’t have, such as the latest clothing trends, video games, or even the latest iPhone which many parents are unable to afford. As young children begin to grow into teenagers, they will start to notice how other kids their age have so many things of their own that they don’t have. This gets them frustrated, only because they are very focused on the people who seem to be above them, even if they’re really not.
Since technology has just entered this world, this generation is witnessing it right now at such a young age, as if it were always there, but it wasn’t. You could see it happening right now, that everything is changing- very quickly.
But in some other countries, many people don’t have any type of advanced technology at all. In other parts of the world, people are suffering from loss of education, so much poverty, starvation, and many even die of thirst since they can’t get a simple drop of water. On CNN News, it had stated, “Nearly a billion people worldwide have limited access to clean water, the State Department says,” It also mentioned, “Nearly 1 billion people in the developing world walk on average 3.5 miles to get water to drink.” Imagine having to do that every single day, when here, you have fresh, filtered water which you can easily grab a full glass of, right now.
In the USA, we are also able to easily get our hands on comfort food. Which are the kind of food we all enjoy, such as burgers, fries, milkshakes, hot dogs, soda, and all kinds of meat(chicken, beef, pork, turkey… Etc). We also are able to have all kinds of entertainment, comfy furniture, and good clothes that many others cannot afford.
We Americans are so used to this kind of life, that as I said, we take it all for granted. Especially the food we get. In an article, it had stated, “Americans waste an unfathomable amount of food. In fact, according to a Guardian report released this week, roughly 50 percent of all produce in the United States is thrown away—some 60 million tons (or $160 billion) worth of produce annually, an amount constituting ‘one third of all foodstuffs.‘ “
This is one of the biggest problems in the America, while on the other side of the world, people have way too less food. They would work day and night just for a tiny bit of money so they could at least get some food and water from someplace. “The last time a global survey was attempted – by the United Nations in 2005 – an estimated 100 million people were homeless worldwide. As many as 1.6 billion people lacked adequate housing.”
For this reason, I suggest all Americans(and everyone else who’s reading this), to be grateful for what they have. Even if you are losing money, or having a harder time than most people around your neighborhood or city, you should still at least be thankful that you aren’t going through worse scenarios. Be thankful you at least have a home to live in, proper education, and at least live in a safe environment. Plus you should also be very thankful you’re not sick or badly injured. “It is estimated that each year in the United States, 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die as a result of foodborne illnesses, primarily the very young, elderly, and the immunocompromised.”
We are so lucky that we are breathing normally right now, and we can afford so many things that the poor can’t even get their hands on. It’s also very sad too see how much we’re ignoring the fact that we are some of the luckiest people on this earth, too even be able to afford the screen we are looking at right now, too be able to want things, and actually be able to buy them. This is why I suggest you feel grateful for every drop of water you drink, every single breath and good moment of your life. This is why we, and even I myself, should be grateful.
Mishka Parashar 