Well, I'm gonna get cheesey. One of my favorite writers, who wrote a book about the paradox of progress,(basically that we still complain the same amount no matter how great life is) stated much better than I can:
Quote:
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As you dig into your turkey, stuffing and pecan pie, washed down with a $10 bottle of wine superior in quality to any wine available to the 17th-century kings of France, remember how hard your ancestors worked, and how they sacrificed, in the dream that someday their descendants would be warm, well-fed and secure against nature. Considering that your forebears just a century ago had an average lifespan of 46 years and often shivered during winters while eating mostly salt-preserved food, try to get through turkey day without complaining about anything, okay?
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I think that's pretty good. We no longer have to be thankful for making it through another harvest season without starving. You know, We all have problems, but when God was handing souls out to uteruses around the planet (or however you view it) I got pretty damn lucky.
Not only was I born in a time when people worry about how much money they can make instead of worrying about a tiger eating them, or another tribe conquering them, or being a slave; I was born in the United States. The world's most technologically advanced, most free, and most secure place man has ever lived. It's a singularly unique and exceptional place to live, despite it's problems that we bitch about. For just one day, put aside your worries about what John Ashcroft or John Kerry would do to the country, and think about it. No country is going to conquer us. Terrorism, or crime, while a threat, is not really altering my life, and there are people working hard to keep us safe. There have been people over 200 years in this country alone that have worked to make life better for people like me, and they succeeded.
Not only was I born in a great time and in a great place, but I was born to parents that loved and cared for me. Everyone has trouble along the way growing up and learning to fly out of the nest, but think about how there are people that were not blessed with what you enjoy and take for granted.
I'm not just thankful for the circumstances of and before my birth though. I'm thankful for the guidance I got along the way to get me to where I am today. My life right now, i have to say, is pretty good, all things considered. Thanksgiving is not about being thankful for where you made it to in life though, thanksgiving is about being grateful for all the things that helped you get there.
The Pilgrims would not have survived the winter without the Indians showing them how to do it, just as you and I would not have gotten to the place we are now had it not been for God's help, our Parent's help, the country we live in, our friends, teachers, counselors, and many other people and things for which we should be thankful.