It's so easy to take for granted what we have here in the US. We can travel from sea to shining sea without ever being stopped and asked for ID. We can fly from the icy cold of Minnesota to the warmth of Florida within just a few hours and never have to worry about border crossings. Ok, so we have to virtually strip naked and be groped by losers who really wanted to be security guards but couldn't pass the screening process but, all in all, it's a very small price to pay to have the freedom to move about our country. For all of the problems that our country is going through right now, it pales in comparison to what the citizens of other countries have to go through on a daily basis.
We complain about the cost of gas, the corrupt health care industry, the housing crisis which has morphed into a recession. We bitch about our politicians, our bosses, the traffic, the weather, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know what, when you think about it, we still live in one of the most desirable nations on earth. People from all over the world want to come here. They wear our hand-me-down clothes. They listen to our music and watch our movies. They trade with our dollars, eat our food and drive our trucks. Nations expect us to protect them with our military. Our medicine and our goodwill is known the world over. America is the bosom of the world and we sometimes take it all for granted.
Most of us have no concept about what it's like to have to walk miles just to fill a water jug. We don't have to worry about whether or not the drought will kill our crops and we will starve to death in six months. If it's cold, we turn up the heat. When it's hot, we fire up the AC. When we're hungry, we go to the fridge. When we're bored, we turn on the TV. For those of us born here in the US, it's all we know. We were all born into the relative lap of luxury and we've all grown complacent with our riches. Even the homeless guy down on the corner is rich in comparison with millions of people around the world who will go hungry and die of disease. Nobody of sane mind and capable body can starve to death or die of thirst in America. In addition, we can't easily die of most of the diseases that take millions of lives in developing countries every year. It's the world we know.
It can all disappear overnight. Not necessarily for all of us but regions of the US can be hit with those natural and man-made disasters that have recently made the news. The aftermath of recent natural disasters should be a wakeup call for us Americans. 3rd World conditions can overwhelm us in just a few days. Japan had the 3rd largest economy in the world until their recent earthquake. Thousands perished and entire cities were wiped from the map. If that can happen to the world's third largest economy, it can happen here. Tens of thousands of Japanese are reduced to pure human survival....basically third world conditions. Nobody really thought it could be that bad.
I don't write these thoughts to inspire doomsday fears. I write to encourage humility. Kiss your healthy family. Enjoy your home. Wash your car. Smile when you walk into the produce department. Breathe deep the steam from your daily shower. Appreciate your nice neighbors. Revel in the comfort of central air and heating. Thank your ER doctor next time you're there. Look forward to the sounds of garbage trucks at 6AM and sirens at midnight. This year, when you sit down with your family and friends for Thanksgiving Dinner, remember to give thanks. Actually, you know what? Don't wait until Thanksgiving. Do it every day. Appreciate your world. Appreciate OUR world because it's the world we know.
