It's just as easy to feel apathetic and resigned to the status quo in democracies as it can be in ironfisted, tightly controlled dictatorships. So this year — one which has seen mass upheaval and political transformation on a scale that may be remembered on par with the revolutions of 1989 — we are thankful for the spirit of people power that has spread from the Arab Spring across the Mediterranean to austerity-era Europe and over the Atlantic to North America's angry 99%. You might not agree with the Occupy movement, but virtually everywhere around the world, youth are taking to the streets, engaging in the critical issues of the day and making their voices heard, and that is reason to give thanks.