As we near the holidays, the time of gratefulness and love, keep in mind how luxurious your life can be in the United States. Remember that you can walk out the door without fearing for your life 24/7. It seems to be something many of us forget…

The world seems to be spinning because of two major components: revolution and murder. Peaceful protests have turned into massacres. Police officers aren’t being indicted for actions caught on camera. Innocent people are being publicly massacred by machine gun fire because they were caught turning on the tv. Amazing.

It’s easy to look at your life and think about how it could be so much better. Does anyone ever stop to think about how much worse it could be? While not everyone lives a life of luxury, many Americans live a life far more privileged and blessed than many others across the world.

As a younger teen, sneaking into R-rated movies seemed so scandalous, but it was all the attendants fault if he kicked us out for being too young. People actually make a big deal out of this, yet 80 people were publicly massacred in North Korea for watching foreign films or having a bible. Imagine being tied to a post then shot to death so many times by a machine gun that your body wasn’t recognizable. Because you watched a movie. Don’t forget that thousands of people were corralled and forced to watch your execution. I think all of us can handle being asked to leave a movie theater for trying to watch something that’s considered illegal.

Driving down the street, many are always wary of the passing cop car. What’re we afraid of? Speeding tickets? Doing something illegal that we didn’t know was illegal? Imagine being one of the college students corralled by police officers in Mexico, then handed over to a drug gang to be massacred, then your remains were destroyed to erase all evidence of your physical existence. And this wasn’t just the police ganging up on the people. As of now, it is believed the mayor of Iguala, a city in Mexico, is the one who ordered officers to kidnap and kill the protesters. Now protestors in Mexico City are getting into fights with police officers and many are being detained by violent means.

One of the many privileges of living in America is the right to peaceful protest and expression. Sure, we have a few protests that go awry, but they overshadow the peaceful demonstrations join thousands of little voices into one powerful, significant voice. With the results of Ferguson and Eric Garner’s death, many are taking to the streets to make a change. Messages like “Don’t Shoot!” and “I can’t breathe!” have become the slogans of many activist movements. Even NFL players have taken to making game statements and spreading the word. However, notice how no one is being sent to jail for it. Protesters are not being kidnapped by policemen and incinerated. They are not the target of machine gun fire. Now don’t get me wrong: there is good reason for protest after those two cases. However, take the time to appreciate your right to hold a sign up and say why the government should improve.

And to those who say the protests are annoying: how dare you. If it weren’t for protests and movements to improve society, women would still be sitting at home taking care of babies while their husbands were at the voting booths. There would still be extreme discrimination against races that would deny many their rightful places in society, the workplace, and life. I like to hear many complain about how so many of these protests are annoying and that they should all go home and get jobs. Well I certainly hear you using your first amendment rights to complain about protests that many had to protest and fight for centuries ago…

As bad as it seems to get, remember how good it can be. I know there are times when we want to bash our heads against the wall, but in some countries the government does that for you, but not by your own will. So before you bash America for being the worst country ever and taxes suck and boo hoo, look outside our borders. You may not like what you see.