In my international relations course, we watched a film entitled “Black Gold," a documentary following the lives of Ethiopian coffee farmers. Most specifically an Ethiopian businessman, on a quest to raise the price paid for their efforts.

Around the world, people enjoy the luxury of being surrounded by coffee shops, or supermarkets stocked with various beans coming from all over the world. Yet no one seems to take the time to stop and think about the process these beans evolved from. Admittedly, neither did I; that is, until I watched this film. One cup of coffee in Ethiopia costs less than a dollar. At Starbucks, we pay over four times that amount for a lengthy worded drink that is most likely disposed of prior to total consumption.

The sad truth is, we live a privileged life full of luxuries that we take for granted at the expense of the livelihoods of other people. I know this might seem drastic, considering it all boils down to coffee, but it’s not. Just because coffee is one of the many simple (yet over-abundant) things in our lives does not mean that it should be held in any lower regard. A coffee bean farmer in the documentary spoke of the hardships his family faced due to price buy backs. He and his 15 family members live a broken life in a handmade hut, surviving by the skin of their teeth. It seems arbitrary to be concerned about where the sustainable things in our lives come from, but again, it’s not. Too often do we complain about things that others cannot comprehend the magnificence of.

So why am I writing this article? It’s not to instill any amount of guilt that you, dear reader, would otherwise not have felt, no. It’s to instill within you the idea that your life is not something to be taken for granted. There are so many things that we view as insignificant that are fundamental to the way our world operates. But we need to learn to take the time to look around at what we have, and realize what we are missing - a sense of wonder that brings us down to earth and gives us the feeling of humanity we once had when it was unhindered by ingratitude.

So whether or not you agree with me, I don’t really mind. Just know this: love every detail of the life you have, because it’s the only one you’re going to get.