Although we may not look forward to that crazy family dinner, there is something particular about this November holiday to really think about. Beyond the sense of comfort we feel at home and the wonderful taste of a festive feast, Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate what we have.

Our parents always remind us to be thankful, but as teenagers and young adults, we tend to tune out what they say — especially when we don’t get exactly what we want. Kevin Guenthner, a junior majoring in human development, believes teens are ignorant because of a lack of exposure to the “real world.”

“Most teens haven’t been directly affected by tragedy,” Guenthner said. “Therefore they don’t learn how to appreciate what they have and how lucky they are.”

In blunter terms, our teenage generation is becoming ignorant, and many of us can become consumed in our own little worlds at times. There seems to be a huge lack of awareness in our youthful generation of what our society has dealt with over the past several years.

Ken Roon, the academic counselor for Binghamton University’s Student Support Services, rationalized the behavior of teenage society and gave his own explanation as to why teenagers come off as people who don’t care.

“Very few of us have directly experienced tragedy, so students’ lack of knowledge isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Roon said. “It’s a part of being young — young people often focus on themselves, and that’s OK. It becomes problematic when people fail to consider what’s going on around them.”

So, maybe being naive is a normal thing for people our age. After all, we don’t have much life experience and we still have growing up to do. But this naiveté crosses a line when students are surrounded by tragedy, and just continue to focus on themselves.

Here are some things to consider this holiday season.

1. Binghamton floods

The flooding this year significantly damaged our town. And although many places have been cleaned up, there is still a lot of work to be done that will take years to complete. Many members of Binghamton University’s faculty, staff and student body were directly affected by the flood and were forced to evacuate their homes.

Yet instead of having heightened empathy for those who suffered losses during the flood, many BU students decided to celebrate the cancellation of classes by having parties in their dorm rooms and posting excited statuses on Facebook. This appearance of insensitivity is becoming a growing problem in our generation.

Roon suggests looking at Facebook during the floods. Some students wrote, “Yay! Class is cancelled!” while their professors were evacuating. These types of comments make it seem like students didn’t care, because the Internet doesn’t have a filter and people can say whatever they want.

“I believe that most students do care and they just don’t think when they press ‘enter,'” Roon said. “It’s not in the students’ words that has real meaning, it’s in their actions. If you look at the students’ actions, the amount of volunteers that helped flood victims this year was absolutely incredible. The same students who wrote those things on Facebook are out there helping.”

This holiday season, we should start snapping out of our personal bubbles and start showing who we really are.

2. America’s economy is trying to get back on its feet

It’s not big news that America’s economy has plummeted. Many young people do not fully comprehend how devastating this has been to our country, because although it may have indirectly affected us, we were not the ones experiencing the personal feelings of grief and loss. It was mainly parents, older friends or relatives.

Frank Eisen, a Long Island native and father of two teenage boys, lost his car dealership in 2007.

“It was a really difficult time for me and my entire family,” Eisen said. “My kids didn’t really grasp the heartache of it, but when we had to move, they began to understand the severity of my situation. We lost a lot.”

Will Simon, an undeclared freshman, was definitely given a wake-up call when he found out his mother had lost a great job at a major firm.

“There were two people working the same job, and the company couldn’t afford both, so they fired my mom,” Simon said. “It’s really upsetting.”

It’s time to acknowledge those who have suffered losses through this economic struggle. America is just now starting to get back on its feet. And Thanksgiving is the perfect time to recognize that.

3. Our troops in Iraq will hopefully be home for the holidays

For all of us who have been anticipating the end to the war in Iraq, there is now hope that all our soldiers will return home by the end of 2011. President Obama recently announced that the “remaining 40,000 troops will definitely be home for the holidays.”

Obama has also been vigorously promoting ways for veterans to find work in the shaky economy. Although some businesses are reluctant to hire veterans “due to fears about mental health issues or concerns that they will be redeployed,” according to the Navy Times, Obama is offering large tax credits to those businesses that hire former members of the military.

These promises on the president’s part focus not only on ending violence, but also helping our troops get back into everyday American life. And we can appreciate these efforts this holiday season.

4. Japan’s earthquake brought people closer together

In March, the biggest earthquake to ever hit Japan permanently destroyed much of what it had. Even with all the devastation, the disaster “highlighted the national strengths that provided the most promising grounds for hope,” according to a report in TIME Magazine.

The incredible efforts that America gave to Japan after this tragedy was a beautiful thing. Even as our country was still struggling to overcome our economic losses, the voluntary work that went into helping Japanese victims was truly heartwarming.

We can take from these volunteers a sense of pride for who we are as a country. And we can be thankful for our troops and citizens who visited Japan to help families in need.

5. Sept. 11 showed the strength of our country

When we hear the date “Sept. 11,” we automatically know what it means. This date has such significance to our country because of what happened that day — and for what happened after. The strongest sense of patriotism was felt throughout the entire nation.

Most of us undergraduates were very young on Sept. 11, 2001, but what comes with age is the ability to reflect on events to better understand them. This Thanksgiving and every Thanksgiving is a time to be proud of who we are and to appreciate our country altogether. It’s also a time to recognize the people who live their lives to help others in need.

Thanksgiving is all about being really grateful for what we have. It’s time to sit down at your Thanksgiving dinner table to think about not only yourself, but also your place in this world. As students, we have the ability to create a more powerful, more unified and stronger future.