The Things We Should Be Thankful For

We face many problems in our society, but there are also positives to build on

Thanksgiving is the proto American holiday, preceding in both time and significance other days of national celebration such as Independence Day and Memorial Day. It marks the day the early European colonizers celebrated the material abundance of the New (to them) World. It remains a day characterized by the consumption of the nation’s bounty and de rigueur offerings of gratitude for the good fortune of living in the world’s richest nation… That is, for some of us.

In these fraught times, the collective “we” may question what it is we will be thankful for this year. The pandemic is still killing over 1000 Americans a day. The Consumer Price Index is up 6.2% over a year ago, with energy prices leading the way. Our national political parties have divided into two distinct camps, one embracing anti-democratic authoritarianism and the other lacking the resolve to fight for ameliorative changes to our political system. Media reports each day draw attention to incidents of violence, and it seems the threat of violence is palpable even to the majority of us who never experienced it. Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. President Biden’s approval rating is under-water.*

Perhaps what is lacking is some perspective. Many of the issues Americans complain about- and are often angry about- are not confined to the US. The supply chain bottlenecks that are contributing to rising prices have affected the entire global economy. Covid continues to be a public health issue even in advanced nations. Liberal democracies around the world are being challenged by authoritarian movements, so Trumpism should be viewed as the American version of a widespread revanchist trend.

While these issues are critical and it is not a given that we will achieve positive outcomes in every case, we should also take this time to acknowledge the good things in our lives. On the societal level, we should be grateful for the years of effort and research by scientists that allowed vaccines to be developed and deployed in record times, allowing us to start down the path to normalcy. We should understand that the government’s efforts to stimulate the economy meant we have avoided a painful recession. Even Congress, with its arcane rules and procedures, and the Democrats holding the slimmest of majorities, has managed to pass major legislation.

In the current political environment, there are no easy paths to improving the system. I use this space to provoke discussions about problematic issues such as the filibuster, voting rights, money in politics, judicial reform, etc. If you have ever done any sailing, you know that you cannot sail directly into the wind if that’s where your destination lies. Instead, you tack, sailing a zig-zag course at angles to headwinds. It’s a longer voyage but it’s the only course that gets you there. It requires will and perseverance to pursue goals in such an indirect way. Democratic government is messy and slow to change.

We should be thankful then that we live in a society where we can still make changes happen. We can vote, we can be civically involved, especially on the local level. Last month, I wrote about the importance of civic virtue in a democracy. Just as married couples will renew their vows, Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to renew our commitment to our society.

Finally, Thanksgiving is traditionally a day we gather with family and friends to renew the bonds intrinsic to human relations. We are herd animals after all, tribal in nature. We should all be thankful if we have been fortunate in our lives, and that we are able to help the less fortunate.

In the summer of 2020, a friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness and was home in hospice care. I had the opportunity to speak with him on the phone several times and I found his attitude inspirational. He expressed no self-pity or bitterness. At one point he told me that the most important thing he had learned in his life, the thing he valued most, were the relationships he had formed over his sixty years.

We can all be thankful for the relationships we have in our own lives. Handle them with care.

*Source: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/direction_of_country-902.html

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