Some students will be lucky enough to have the chance to breathe the air outside of Ames, maybe even outside Iowa, when our campus finally goes on break next week. Yes, finally break is here — well, almost here. Although some of us believe we needed the break a month ago, the fact that a week free of schoolwork is just around the corner is enough to get us in Thanksgiving mode and be thankful.

Our government has formally set a day for the working people of this country to slow down, be thankful and enjoy a four-day weekend with their family. Most of you will celebrate next week with your family by having a wonderful dinner on Thursday and going Christmas shopping on Friday — since the family can’t miss out on those sales. But, I wonder, what do we tell those in our country who can’t get a job, or barely have enough to eat during the holidays?

Two weekends ago, I attended a conference in Oklahoma. At the closing banquet, they served an enormous supper. Plates of prime rib, mashed potatoes, green beans and cheesecake fed more than 500 people. I was sitting at the table hearing engineering businessmen talk about pursuing “the dream” and how to become the big hot-shot of a corporation. But, as I looked around and noticed all the food that had not been eaten and would be going to waste, I became frustrated. I felt helpless and I started to feel sick. I had to step out for a couple of minutes.

I could not get the numbers out of my head. Those numbers that say around 1.2 billion people try to survive on less than $1 a day, and another 3 billion attempt to take care of their lives on less than $2 a day. That’s more than half the world’s 6.1 billion people. That night, I couldn’t stop thinking of the images I’ve seen of mothers who can barely hold their children, whose curved bodies have to be supported by a cane. People who cannot stand because the hunger they are suffering from will not let them.

What hurts the most when I think about this is that we, as the human society, have created this gap and we are all responsible in one way or another for our planet, everyone and everything in it. We could trace this gap back to greed, but we could also trace it back to our consuming patterns.

Still, we get a break — like many would say — a well-deserved break from our hard work. A break I have been dreaming of for at least a month, but a break that others cannot afford to take. On Thursday, many will have a chance to say grace with their family. On Friday, many will be flooding the mall to do their holiday shopping.

Although I am excited about getting some rest next week, I am also worrying about people I don’t even know. I worry about those people who do not have anything to eat on a day that represents family traditions. But we do not only need to worry, we need to start caring.

When we give thanks this Thanksgiving Day, let us give thanks for the opportunities we have. We have been blessed with the opportunity to obtain an education, and we can definitely help others in the future. Let us help others give thanks this Thanksgiving, but please do not stop there. There are 365 days in a year, and we should try to help at least one person a day. Maybe we could change the world.