A Thankless Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving was approaching this year, I took a few moments to reflect on the MANY things that I and my fellow citizens have to be thankful for. And, as I did so, something deeply disturbing occurred to me: my generation (baby boomers) has raised two generations of Americans (Gen-Xers and Millennials) who do not know what GRATITUDE is. The ingratitude we see all around us is breathtaking in its myopia, astonishing in its stupidity and heartbreaking in its prevalence. It can be seen in examples small, medium and large.
First, a small example: Earlier this week, I was truly shocked to hear the comments of one LaVar Ball. Mr. Ball is the father of LiAngelo Ball, a UCLA basketball player, who, together with two teammates, was arrested for SHOPLIFTING from three stores recently while visiting China. Penalties for shoplifting in China can be as much as 10 years hard labour. President Trump, who was also visiting China at the time, was able negotiate leniency for these pilfers and the release of all three. One would THINK that senior Ball would would be grateful BEYOND WORDS to President Trump for intervening on his son’s behalf. But, not so! Senior Ball exclaimed, verbatim: “Don’t tell me nothin’. Everybody wants to make it seem like he (Trump) helped me out”, adding that it “was no big deal”. Firstly, there’s NO way that senior Ball could know, in ANY way what-so-ever, what went on behind the scenes in order to secure leniency for his progeny. His speaking out in this way reflects, quite simply, his ignorance. But, more amazingly, his comments belie a lack of gratitude that boggles the mind. His (poorly brought up) offspring was facing TEN YEARS HARD LABOUR, but instead was released and allowed to return to America after Mr. Trump PERSONALLY intervened. After such a voluntary effort on the President’s part, senior Ball can’t muster a heart felt “thank you, Mr. President”??!! Could that be true?? Apparently so! You see, senior Ball is a member of Generation-X, and like many of his cohort, DOES NOT, apparently, KNOW what gratitude is.
Next, a medium sized example: The National Anthem protests that continue to embarrass and damage the NFL reflect nothing, if not the ingratitude of the players involved. Many of these athletes are the beneficiaries of tremendous salaries, perks, acclaim and prestige. Though they benefit handsomely from the country that raised, educated and trained them, they have nothing but DISDAIN for that country. Why? Well, because that country isn’t PERFECT, you see. They are quintessential millennials, and ingratitude oozes from their pores.
And, an example that’s rather large: The undercurrent of malcontentment that simmers today on America’s campuses is as surprising as it is nauseating. These young men and women are among the most protected and pampered individuals on planet earth, yet they have nothing but disdain for the country that’s treated them so well. They find our society so threatening, in fact, that they must retreat into “safe spaces”. They find that they can’t even LISTEN to points of view with which they disagree. Despite a level of prosperity that is still the envy of the world and despite unprecedented degrees of personal freedom, they have nothing good to say. Surprising numbers of them say they long for various types of socialism, despited the fact that leftist economies have been attempted in massive experiments in numerous countries (Russia, China, East Germany, etc.) in the last century, and have been discredited, and, with very rare exceptions (North Korea and Cuba), have been discarded. The malcontents are, apparently, unaware of this, and, as a consequence, long for some type of socialist utopia. They show not one iota of gratitude for the society that coddles them.
And lastly, a widespread example: Personal ingratitude, as a CHARACTER TRAIT seems to prevail, on a massive scale, among our children. Despite being given top flight education, unprecedented freedom, expensive automobiles, computers and even exotic travel, many of our offspring remain UNIMPRESSED. All of these things, apparently, are their “due”, or so they think.
It’s a sorry state of affairs. Some of the blame rests on the shoulders of America’s teachers, who have jaundiced their charges. Some of the blame rests squarely on our shoulders, however, with our laissez faire approach to parenting. And, some of the blame may simply be due to the fact that the majority of our youth have been protected and pampered for so long, that they don’t really KNOW what it is they have, and how truly blessed they (and we) are.
One can only HOPE that as time passes and they mature, our legions of ingrates will take a good look at the harsh world beyond our borders, and will begin to feel, in their hearts, a long overdue sense of gratitude. Gratitude for their parents, gratitude for our leaders and our President, gratitude for our country and gratitude for our Creator. Maybe then, at the Thanksgiving table, they can say say: “THANK YOU O Lord for these thy gifts that we are about to receive from Thy bounty”. And MEAN it.
And for all of my readers that are truly GIVING THANKS on this Thanksgiving Day, may the Lord bless you and keep you and all those you love. Happy Thanksgiving!