Things For Which I Am Not Grateful

Not a day passes when I do not give thanks for something in my life to which I place value. So, in that regard, the fact Thanksgiving is tomorrow does not mean I am suddenly feeling gratitude in my heart in ways I do not already do. But because tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I will concede that my list of things to be thankful for may be more comprehensive than usual. Nevertheless, giving thanks is a big part of my daily mantra. Having said that, however, I also believe there are some things in this world of ours to which no one should give thanks or even think warmly toward. They serve as blights on our society and ability as people to connect and remain connected. Specifically, I wish to focus on two of them: irresponsible communication and irresponsible ignorance.

When I speak of irresponsible communication I think of persons in power and positions of influence. Irresponsible communication covers such acts as lying, deceit, unfounded name calling and false presentation. Hardly a day passes when I do not see examples of this kind of behavior in the form of comments and actions by men and women - political leaders, business executives, and media commentators - who can and do know better. While I do not begrudge them for putting their interests above others, what I resent is the fact they advocate their interests at the expense of others. Their power and visibility give them unjust and unfair influence and weight. Nevertheless, they take advantage of this reality by cloaking their agendas in the guise of helping others when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

When I speak of irresponsible ignorance I speak of those members of our society who are not famous, rich or particularly influential; regular folks of which I consider myself to be one. It troubles me greatly there are those who are so driven by their own ideology that they feel it unnecessary to study or research whether there are any facts to support their perspectives. They exhibit great passion and zeal and, sadly, end up doing more harm to a country and world they profess to love. I understand, on a day to day basis, many of these men and women lead busy lives by striving to take care of their families and hold down their jobs. Good for them. At the same time, if they are going to attend rallies and wave signs, then perhaps they first need to first carve out some time in their schedules to gain a better understanding of what it is they support or advocate. For instance, do these regular folk really want rich people to get richer in order that their own lives will be made worse?

Our country and our world have enough problems as it is. The last thing any of us - rich, not-so rich and poor - should be doing is to make them worse and more deeply entrenched. Consequently, we need to be more responsible communicators and more responsible in raising our breath of knowledge and not be blinded by ideology. So, on this day before Thanksgiving, while I give thanks for our ability to be better communicators and be less ignorant, I do not give thanks for an apparent unwillingness on the part of far too many to do either.