News Article
As Thanksgiving approaches, we gather to celebrate gratitude. Throughout November, reminders to “being thankful” are everywhere, to the point where it can feel rehearsed.
Amid economic uncertainties such as rising unemployment, stubborn inflation, record low levels of consumer sentiment, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, deep political division, and an overall sense of instability, gratitude may feel difficult this year.
Despite this, we have good reasons to be thankful.
Today, we are so used to having our needs met that we rarely pause and appreciate that many of the goods we take for granted—running water, power, plumbing, economic and political freedom—are privileges, not guarantees. We are incredibly wealthy.
All of us.
For perspective, nearly one in four people globally cannot access clean water. More than 700 million live without electricity, and 100 percent of Americans have access. More than 244 million children worldwide never receive an education, while 85 percent of U.S. children complete high school.
What about the poorest households in the United States? Even there, basic living standards remain far above the global average. Some 99 percent of U.S. households own a refrigerator, 97 percent have a TV, 90 percent have air conditioning and broadband internet. Moreover, 92 percent of households have a car, and a similar number possess a computer and smartphone.
These are not basic goods; they’re signs of incredible wealth.
This isn’t to say we shouldn’t discuss poverty in the United States or how to help those struggling. Nearly half of U.S. renters spend more than a third of their income on housing. Food insecurity affects more than 18 million households. These struggles are real.
It is worth remembering that our baseline standard of living—even for the poorest among us—includes comforts that billions of people will never experience.
It’s also important to remember where this wealth comes from: an economic system that rewards people for making the goods and services we enjoy. These makers create products that improve our daily quality of life. Henry Ford’s invention allowed us to move from one place to another easily. Smartphone makers give us the ability to communicate with friends and family in ways that weren’t possible 30 years ago. The efforts of these entrepreneurs, and others, have improved our lives tremendously.
This doesn’t mean that everyone with wealth is a “maker.” Indeed, “takers,” who gain wealth through cronyism and political favors, are worthy of scorn. We must be careful not to assume that anyone with wealth acquired it through taking.
Remember, we are all wealthy, too.
There are two other groups of makers we should acknowledge. Sadly, these groups have been subject to intense ridicule. The first group we should be thankful for is our immigrants—skilled and unskilled. These migrants have started some of our most successful companies and are essential to many businesses. Second, we should be thankful for our foreign trading partners. It is through openness and trade that we’ve come to enjoy such a rich standard of living. We are rich because of these groups, not in spite of them.
So, as we gather for Thanksgiving, sit with loved ones, eat food from here and all over the world, and spend hours enjoying conveniences that we did nothing to create, it is worth taking a moment to feel thankful. Gratitude doesn’t solve the problems that we face, but it sharpens our awareness of the advantages that we often overlook.
It reminds us that even in the most uneasy of times, we have much to be thankful for—not because our lives are perfect but because so much of what sustains our daily lives is anything but typical.
