Our national attitude of ingratitude

Sometimes it takes a simple readjustment in our way of thinking before we recognize the incredible blessings we have in our lives.

Several years ago one Sunday morning while sitting in church, our pastor said this in his sermon: “I’m sure there are people here this morning who feel that life has somehow cheated them, but I can guarantee you, if you lost everything you have right now, and then suddenly had it all restored, you would be one grateful person. The problem is not what we have, but our expectations.”

My husband and I sat there, poleaxed, as we heard those words. We learned later that many others in the congregation reacted the same way.

What if we lost our health – our home – our way of life – our neighbors – our job – our voice – our children – our spouse – our food – our water …

… and then had it suddenly restored again.

Would we ever grumble about our spouse again? Would we ever complain because our home was too small or shabby? Would we ever gripe about our kids’ eternal soccer games? Our parents’ tendency to call too often? Our neighbors’ bright pink house? The run in our stockings? The person with 12 items in the 10-items-or-less line at the grocery store? The bad haircut? The empty mayonnaise jar in the fridge?

See my point? All our petty annoyances are so petty in light of what it would be like to lose everything.

A few days ago, on Christmas morning, my husband and I were traveling to church. We live in a deeply rural part of North Idaho, and unlike many other parts of the country, we had no snow. After an evening of rain, the roads were wet but otherwise fine … until we hit a patch of invisible black ice. The car ricocheted wildly around the road while my husband fought for control, spun 180 degrees, and slammed into the roadside embankment, totaling the vehicle. We emerged from the car, shaky and bruised but otherwise unhurt.

It goes without saying how many things could have gone wrong in such an accident. We were both wearing seat belts, so we weren’t flung through the windshield. There were no other vehicles nearby, so we didn’t hit anyone else. Our “dumb” phone (we don’t have smartphones) actually got reception (not always available in our rural area), so we were able to call for assistance. Above all, we weren’t badly hurt. Believe me when I say we came home – after missing church, of course – filled with gratitude.

In the grand scheme of things, a solo car accident is not an earth-shattering event, especially when it didn’t result in anyone needing medical attention. But also in the grand scheme of things, most of us take our everyday things for granted and don’t appreciate them until they’re gone, including our health, our loved ones, our friends, our possessions, our utilities, our food and water, etc. In fact, when you stop and think about it, the list of our everyday blessings is almost inexhaustible.

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America has experienced a serious loss of gratitude as well as a work ethic in the last few decades, and it got me wondering – is it because our blessings are TOO abundant now? Does a lack of want lead to a lack of faith, as well as a victimhood state of mind? Will it take an economic depression or a massive disaster (man-made or otherwise) to rekindle an attitude of gratitude among Americans, or are we too far gone to change our ways?

In an ideal world, we would consciously be thankful for our everyday blessings (health, clean water, abundant food, adequate housing, etc.) rather than taking them for granted. Oh sure, once in a while we’re jolted out of our complacency by a brief interruption of goods and services; but for many people the result is not gratitude for the general reliability but annoyance at the temporary interruption. We complain that the linemen aren’t restoring the electricity fast enough. We complain that the store managers didn’t stock more chips and beer. We complain that the ambulance didn’t navigate the crowded highways faster in order to take us to the hospital. The expectation that our lives should never be inconvenienced (much less deprived) has bred less gratitude, not more.

There are some people in our country who are so disgusted with this national attitude of ingratitude that they almost wish an economic implosion would occur, if only to teach a few people some harsh lessons. I don’t share that sentiment, since I know all too well how many innocent people would suffer under such circumstances. But I must admit I see their point.

Things given to us too easily are worth less in our eyes. When I milk our cow, make a batch of cheddar cheese, let it age for three months and then slice it to put on a sandwich … I am immensely grateful for that cheese because I know what kind of work went into making it. When I buy a block of cheddar at the store, I unthinkingly put a slice on my sandwich and give no thought to the cows that provided the milk or the hands that crafted the cheese.

But those unable or unwilling to appreciate the hard work that goes into their blessings lose the ability to cultivate gratitude. They get lazy. They would rather hand their dignity to the government and get entitlements in exchange.

“The liberal welfare state makes people disdain work,” Dennis Prager once wrote. “Nothing more guarantees the erosion of character than getting something for nothing. … [It] inhibits the maturation of its young citizens into responsible adults.”

Hard work is the vector by which we receive our blessings. Remember that – hard work. Making cheese is hard work. So is building a business. So is raising a family.

But now, since we as a nation no longer cultivate anything but (cough) victims and entitlement slaves, we’re willing to exchange freedom for whiny dependence, gratitude for petulant demands.

Our blessings flow from God – as well as from the sweat of our brows. When we forget that and expect government to provide those blessings, our ingratitude knows no bounds.

We have a new year ahead of us. We don’t know what it will bring. At the moment, my husband and I are grateful to be alive, albeit bruised. But whatever happens, it never hurts to start counting blessings NOW rather than later.

A Happy New Year to you all, my dear readers.