Dane-Ger, an excellent post. I can relate myself with regard to realising what is important in life. Only this morning on a walk back from the gym did I really look at a few basic things I have and realise how lucky I am. Perhaps being a poor student does make you become less materialistic, I certianly appreciate that money and things do not make you happy, relationships with friends and family do. Having a group of people come together to work towards a common goal, the rescue of our economy, is what we need to see. I think there is something to be said for when times are hard people are more likely to rally together for the common good. Of course, not everyone, but remember most people in society are generally good folk. It's a shame that negative stories sell newspapers and that is what gets reported.
I'd usually say that I focus on the negatives, but at the moment thats far too depressing to do! So I'm trying out a new way of thinking, long may it last. Although I may have to stop reading pprune so much, it does tend to be more negative than positive.