Let Us All Give Thanks: Or The Power of Gratitude

In George Will's column this past Sunday, he lamented the lack of civility in American society, especially the self-absorbed culture brought about by cell phones, iPods, and other portable media. I agree that American's have forgotten many of the common courtesies; but Mr. Will blamed this decline on "the welfare state", a term I haven't heard in ages.

I disagree with Mr. Will because "the welfare state" refers to government entitlement programs, which have been around for decades, and far longer than the rude, crude behavior he laments. Most Americans are fortunate enough not to have depend on entitlement programs, at least until we retire and need our Social Security. And our older Americans generally still mind their manners.

Besides most folks in "the welfare state" can't afford the high-tech gadgets in Mr. Wills lamentations.

So what has taken America from a country that values the individual rights to a culture that worships individual whimsy. It is or materialistic, advertising drive age. The get-rich-and-buy-everything mentality that tells each of us, hundreds of time a day: "It's all about you!" To happy, we need to look good, feel good, eat oversized portions of junk food, wear the right clothes, drive the posh cars, and, yes Mr. Will, own the latest high-tech gadget.

It is this lust for wealth and the symbols of status that has given birth to this age of Me-ism. And it extends all the way to the White House and Congress, which are blatantly giving tax breaks to their rich, powerful friends while cutting programs for the poor.

But there is a cure for Me-ism, and it begins with Gratitude.

Today is Thanksgiving, the day in which all Americans at least give lip-service to gratitude for their good fortune. We will turn off the personal media long enough to enjoy a meal with family and friends, and perhaps at least part of a football game or move together before we turn them back on. Then tomorrow, we turn our thoughts to what we each want for Christmas.

But real gratitude is not just for a day, but it can begin today with real "thanks-giving". It begins when we turn off the greedy give-mes and look at everything we already have. It's called counting your blessings, and it can be a wonderful, transforming experience.

I am an American. I was fortunate enough to be born in a country where I have the right to write and share these thoughts with you dear readers. A nation in which every poor citizen has the same rights as very rich citizen; where every citizens voice can be heard.

I don't have an iPod, or even a PDA. And my cell phone doesn't do much except make phone calls. So what!

I have this wonderful computer to type this on. I have a terrific new Saturn in my parking space. I have a roof over my head, plenty to eat, clothes to wear, a few creature comforts, and more books than I can ever read in this lifetime. My family is in good health, and I have a wonderful man who loves me...

I could go on forever. But the point is not to just take inventory. It is to consider the real blessing of having all your "blessings".

Last Sunday, I learned that the earning power of the United States averages out to $100.00 per person per day.

In Mozambique, it averages about 60 cents per person per day.

I learned these statistics because I was at a meeting for one of our UU congregation's Social Action Council projects; sending girls to school in Moz, which I wrote about a few months ago. We hoping to expand the program this year, and send more girls to school.

Why? Because we can! We know we can, and because we can; we want to do it.
Among us, and our friends, families, and acquaintances; we can scrape together the funds we need to send 48 girls to school. In fact, the formal fund-raising began with Sunday's meeting, but before that meeting we are almost half-way to our goal.

Why do we do it?

Because we can. Because of all we have. And because we know that much of what we have is more from happenstance than from our own efforts.

Think about it. If you're an American, and especially if you were lucky enough to be born here, you have all the promises and protections of our U.S. Constitution. You live in the world's most blessed country.

But you didn't earn it. The birth of our nation, and its nuture and growth into a global power are the work of several hard-working generations before us. And we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

If you're healthy, you owe it to having shelter and enough to eat, and possibly inheriting a favorable gene pool. And much of that, too comes from being in the right place at the right time (or in the case of the last, your ancestors being in the right place at the right time!)

Think about how in the course of a day, so many things go wrong. Now think about the things all the things that go right! It's a miracle.

Karma, Chance, or even call it plain old Good Luck plays a major part in our lives and in our having of our blessings.

And when the true realization of these wonderful blessings hits you, not having an iPod is not such a big deal. Instead of grumbling about what you don't have, you think "Hey, this is the great!"

Those of us working on the Moz project know how fortunate we are. So, we want to share some of our blessings with others. We do a lot of work in our local community as well. And we're proud and happy to be helping these young girls half a world away.

Because we know when these young ladies return to their villages, they will teach and help their family and neighbors with their knowledge. When, they become mothers, they make certain their children are educated.

Some of the girls plan to become teachers or nurses. And already, they are becoming leaders in their villages, especially for their younger peers.

Over time, many people will benefit from the education of just a few young women in Mozambique villages. More children will be educated. There will be better access to health care and health information. In time, there will more teachers, nurse, doctors. Farmers will be smarter and more productive, and other job opportunites will become available.

Why? Because a handful of grateful Americans sat in our meetinghouse basement one Tuesday evening and said "we want to help."

That my friends, is the power of Gratitude.

Gratitude is not greedy or rude. After all, gratitude comes from the same origins as another word; a word we don't hear too often anymore "gracious". And the two reinforce each other, because being able to give or to help is also a blessing.

So take time to really be grateful for your blessings this holiday weekend. We have so much to be grateful for, including opportunities to help others. So help with the cooking and cleaning up for your Thanksgiving feast.

Oh, and don't forget another blessing, the chance to mind your manners.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.