Nathan Tabor
Thanksgiving
2006
©2006
Nathan Tabor
The
children of 21st century
America
are both profoundly blessed and incredibly challenged this Thanksgiving
2006.
They
can indulge in turkey and mashed potatoes to their heart’s content,
savoring the tastes of the season. They
can spend hours watching football on cable—or spend some time in the
backyard playing football games of their own.
Yet,
there is a danger that children will somehow miss the true meaning of
Thanksgiving, amid the bounteous dinners, the parades, and the
television sports marathons.
What
children need to know this Thanksgiving is that they have a great deal
to be thankful for—if they’ll only open up their minds and their
hearts.
The
children of
America
live in a land where democracy, rather than dictatorship, rules.
They don’t have to worry about their government being
overthrown by a bloody coup. They
can go to sleep at night, knowing that there are people in high places
working day and night to ensure that there is not another terrorist
attack on the
U.S.
The
children of
America
can be thankful that they are free to go to school and to learn—a
privilege that is not open to children in other parts of the world.
Those who excel in school can continue onto college, where they
can choose the major they wish—rather than having the government
choose it for them. They can
pursue the career they want—free from government interference.
The
children of
America
can, through hard work and thriftiness, grow up to own their own piece
of property—their own slice of the American dream.
They can have children of their own—knowing that they have the
freedom to form their own families.
They can raise those children to love their country, to salute
the flag, and to work for the spread of democracy throughout the world.
The
children of
America
have been lavished with material goods—from video games to high-end
athletic shoes. They
are better-fed, better-housed, and better-clothed than much of the
world’s population.
And
yet, there’s a danger that the children of
America
will fail to count their blessings this Thanksgiving.
They’ll be reminded of the hurts in their lives—the broken
homes, the drug abuse in their neighborhoods, the crime in the
inner-cities—and they’ll wonder whether they can truly be grateful.
While they may have an abundance of material goods, they may
experience a certain poverty of spirit because all is not perfect within
their neighborhood cul-de-sacs.
That’s
why it’s important for parents to teach their children the true
meaning of Thanksgiving. The
younger generation needs to recognize the many gifts in their
lives—gifts that would have been unthinkable for generations past.
Youngsters need to see that—just because their lives are
not heaven on earth, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a reason to
rejoice.
For
they live in a country where anything is possible—where a poor child
can grow up to become leader of the free world.
And
for that, they should be profoundly thankful.
Nathan
Tabor is a conservative political activist based in Kernersville,
North Carolina. He has his BA in Psychology and his Master’s Degree
in Public Policy. He is a contributing editor at www.theconservativevoice.com.
Contact him at Nathan@nathantabor.com.