On Saturday night, my roommates and I decided to have a movie night. It had been a long week, and I had been complaining all day about my life and all these stupid little things that kept going wrong. After we put in “Slumdog Millionaire,” I felt kind of guilty. Now, this movie ends super happy, but it’s not like that for every child in India. In fact, it’s probably like that for none of the children in India.

We are so lucky. We’re probably some of the luckiest people in the world. And maybe saying that isn’t going to convince you, but think about it. You go to one of the top private schools in the country, you have food and water, and you have shelter. Now, you may stop and say, “But I eat at Hubbell every day,” or “I live in Morehouse and I have to climb all those stairs because there’s no elevator.” Well, the children in India don’t get food most days, and climbing stairs would be a piece of cake compared to the distance they have to walk for clean water.

It’s so easy to take what we have for granted, and I’m not saying that anyone’s life is perfect, but I am saying that it could be a lot worse. I challenge you that next time you find yourself complaining about something like boys, think about how much worse off your life could be, then help someone less fortunate. Donate to the Food Bank of Iowa, or go volunteer at the Boys and Girls club. Volunteering somewhere will get your mind off of your problem as well as help someone else.

In honor of it almost being Thanksgiving, be thankful. Think about all the good things in your life instead of always complaining about the bad. Take one thing at a time and you can survive anything. Because although it may seem like you’re not going to survive, just remember that if a boy from the slums won a million dollars, you can at least survive college.

Hall is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Hall can be contacted at [email protected].