The Miniature Earth

My grandmother, who grew up dirt poor in Casablanca during the Great Depression, used to tell me that if you want to be happy in life, you shouldn't compare yourself to other people. But if you can't help it, you have two options: you can either compare yourself to those who are better off than you, and be jealous, or you can compare yourself to those who are less fortunate and be grateful.
In my line of work I encounter a lot of people who are definitely worse off than me and I credit them (and my grandmother) for giving me a sense of perspective. Sure, I have my share of self-pitying moments, and I think that can be healthy if it pushes you to work harder for what you want to achieve. That said, I am a college-educated Westerner, who owns a computer with Internet access, has the right to work in the US and EU, can travel almost anywhere, whose political rights aren't under any serious threat and who has never been a victim of violence or worried where her next meal was coming from - that's pretty amazing.