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Amid all the presents and stuff that the holiday season brings, there is no better time to be reminded of how fortunate we are for many basic things we take for granted and to teach our children the same.
Videos gone viral of spoiled children having tantrums because their new iPhone X is the wrong color makes me want to punch someone – and not necessarily the kid. Consider it a public service of sorts on behalf of those children’s future spouses, roommates, neighbors and co-workers.
Let’s take a moment to regain a bit of perspective. Let us all take a little break from our complaining.
“You need to see what real pain looks like. Once you do that, you won’t have any more problems.” – Tony Robbins
Let's turn that compulsion we so often have to compare ourselves to others we believe to be in some better situation, ever so slightly in another direction, where we see millions of people that are literally dying to be in our shoes.
“I wept because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.” – ancient Persian saying
If you have a place to sleep, food to eat and clean water, you’re way ahead of the game. There are many parts of the world where basic needs are not met. One in nine people in the world goes hungry.
One simple and easy thing to be grateful for this season: Enough to eat.
But even here at home in American cities and towns, 40 million people, of which 12 million are children, battle with hunger daily. Among wealthy countries, the U.S. sadly ranks #1 as having the worst hunger problem.
The U.S. produces plenty of food. Hunger in America is economic. Over 14% of American households suffer from “food insecurity” meaning they have trouble affording meals; can only buy the cheapest and least nutritious options; eat less than they need; skip meals or have adults feeding children instead of themselves.
So, if you gather around a table filled with food and friends and family this holiday season, whether you like them or not, that is plenty to celebrate.