Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. It is a common practice to give "Thanks" on this day. Though many people are materialistic here in the USA, we usually give Thanks to things that are not materialistic. Unless you're being facetious, you usually don't give Thanks for having an iPhone.

People are Thankful for many things. Sometimes it depends on Current Events. Today in 2008, people may be Thankful that they have not been laid off, and still have a job. Others may be Thankful to still have their homes, and are not in foreclosure.

Most of the time, we are Thankful for Family, Friends, and being able to stuff ourselves with Turkey and all of the trimmings. And for Pie. Save me a slice of Pumpkin pie. Please?

You may get different responses if you live in another part of the world. Someone in a Third World Country, may be Thankful just for having a cup of rice to eat today.

In that sense, we are very spoiled. A Comedian once said, "When it comes to food, we are so spoiled in America, that some of us get allergic to it. You never hear someone starving in Somalia, say that they are Lactose Intolerant." And we have choices. In the same vein, you'd never hear a starving person say, "I'll pass on the Turkey, I'm a Vegetarian."

We are also spoiled just for having the Freedoms that we do. How many times has it been reported that someone from the USA has been arrested in another Country and jailed, for something that we do everyday? Get drunk in the Middle East? Jail! Oh boy, I have a lot of friends who should be Thankful they do not live in the Middle East, just for that reason.

It's great that we can be Thankful for what we have in our own lives. But why be Thankful for only one day? We spend more time complaining about something or someone. No matter what it is, there will always be something to complain about. Why not start being Thankful every day? Then you start appreciating things, rather than taking things for granted. Maybe then we will start being the solution to problems, and not be part of the problem.