I know that writing about what I'm thankful for is very cliche noting the time of year, but Thanksgiving has shown me that I take too much for granted. This Thursday I went downtown to the parade with my family. I had a great time, but I kept seeing poor, homeless people sitting on the sidewalk. Most people kept walking, not evening acknowledging their existence and I, like the others, didn't stop. I felt so guilty because after the parade I could go home and eat a huge feast, while the poor had to wait in a long line, hoping to receive a meager amount of turkey and mash potatoes. Sometimes we (people in middle and upper classes) see the poor as disgusting slobs or as addicts; we don't think about their back stories or how previous situations have landed them in poverty from birth. Most people living in run-down areas are born into it; it is much easier for the rich to become poor than for the poor to become rich.These circumstances remind me of the awful life that the Africans were put into, both by force and by birth. The Africans had no way out of slavery and people treated them with extreme hatred. As understood from the story "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", Harriet Jacobs tells of the hardships faced daily by the enslaved Africans. She had to runaway and hide in an attic for many years just to ensure her children's future.
Someone once said "If you haven't all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you wouldn't want". Before judging the poor, think of how hard their life is and be thankful for what you have.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
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