1. The Internet exists.

Who doesn't love memes? I certainly do. Even beyond the hilarious text-posts and edits that spread like wildfire on social media, there's so much to be thankful for when it comes to the Internet. It's allowed for us to stay connected with our loved ones, to keep up with daily news, and to keep virtually every bit of information ever discovered at the touch of our fingers. The Internet has revolutionized the spread of information, so the fact that recent times have seen its functionality and accessibility grow exponentially just goes to show how lucky we are to live in this digital era.

2. We're on a quest for equality.

Sure, we're not quite there yet, but we've definitely come a long way when it comes to equal rights and toleration. Racism remains, but it's no longer enforced by our major institutions, and its remnants mostly only persist on the social side of things (stereotypes, as opposed to legal/political discrimination). Homosexuality has become normalized, and equal rights for LGBT marriage is an idea tolerated, if not supported, by the majority of the public. Society has seen leaps and bounds in allowing equal opportunity to all, and while it's still not perfectly equal, the current state of things provides hope that we just might reach that standard someday.

3. We've abandoned blind conservatism (mostly).

This is partially an extension of the previous topic, but it is important to note how conservatism has rivaled progress in the past. Even a vague understanding of historical events shows how commonly held beliefs were largely based on tradition. Even in its modern applications, tradition has led to ignorance, intoleration, and a lack of acceptance for anything new or revolutionary. With the technological and social advances we've made over the years, more and more people have left behind their past conceptions in favor of a new perspective on the world. We live in an age where it's normal to question the ideas of the past, which makes the possibilities of our advancement in the future look even more promising.

4. You didn't die super young.

This is somewhat straightforward in comparison to the other reasons, but it's still tremendously important to note. Over time, the average age of mortality has only increased, and by quite a lot. We can now look forward to 80+ years of life (on average), which gives us the opportunity to experience many more things than we could have, had we died young. Back then, society made it standard to speed up the whole "life" process into those small number of years, making it common to marry and have kids at age 15 (side note: Romeo and Juliet were both this age). That's pretty weird, so be grateful you live in an era where you don't have to do that.

5. Politics.

You read that right. While Donald Trump's success suggests the tragic decline of common sense in modern politics, it's actually a miracle we live in today's political climate, as opposed to the alternative. Having studied up on world history, past civilizations were plagued by instability, chaos, and a constant looming fear of being conquered or executed. Not to mention the wildly unfair legal systems in place that threatened the freedom of every citizen. Additionally, politics then were mostly based on a divine right to rule, making "separation of church and state" an almost laughable idea.

Nothing is quite as perfect as we want it to be, but the world is undeniably in a better place than it has ever been. Anyone that says otherwise is thinking too pessimistically. When we look for the good things in life, of which there are many, we can see the vast number of things we have to be thankful for.