Today, I give thanks for 54 years on this planet.
When I was a boy, there was noticeably worse pollution here, including smog, DDT, petroleum products dumped, and smokestacks from industry that belched really foul crap. It's not better everywhere today, but it's better.
Cars didn't have seat belts, and fatal accidents were much more common. Cars looked good, similar to frat boys on college campuses, but they were likewise often failing, and drank like a freshman. They are better today, if not as stylish.
Groceries were a limited affair five decades ago, and produce was as limited as the imaginations of the Old Boy Network in Congress. Today, there are many more choices and costing less of a paycheck for working class people than food did when I was young.
Entertainment was pretty bleak other than live entertainment, and as a poor kid, I didn't have access to live. Television has grown unimaginably diverse, and I can watch documentaries, concerts, and cultural offerings (albeit most on Public Broadcasting) far beyond what I could have imagined.
The internet has been developed only in the latter 1/3 of my life, and it is as varied and vast as humanity. What a wonder.
Gay rights have become much more than a hypothetical. As a teen, I didn't have even a vague concept of real gay men beyond one or two out guys who were very similar to one another. I certainly could not dream that society would progress to the point it has reached now. In my thankfulness, I yet pray that my gay brothers abroad will likewise see oppressive laws and customs decrease for them as well.
Civil rights of minorities in general are light years ahead of the 60's when I was born. The mixing of races socially literally began in my area when I was growing up. It has happened in fits and starts with the expected societal pushback, but it has happened. I do indeed have personal friends of various races and there are not barriers erected to prevent us. Is there equality? No. And the horrors of the police abuses, even when perpetrated against criminals, is unacceptable. Still, I give thanks for how far we have come and pray for more.
Then there are cell phones. I cannot thank God for their influence, but I guess the Devil gets his due, too.
What about you? What are you thankful for?
When I was a boy, there was noticeably worse pollution here, including smog, DDT, petroleum products dumped, and smokestacks from industry that belched really foul crap. It's not better everywhere today, but it's better.
Cars didn't have seat belts, and fatal accidents were much more common. Cars looked good, similar to frat boys on college campuses, but they were likewise often failing, and drank like a freshman. They are better today, if not as stylish.
Groceries were a limited affair five decades ago, and produce was as limited as the imaginations of the Old Boy Network in Congress. Today, there are many more choices and costing less of a paycheck for working class people than food did when I was young.
Entertainment was pretty bleak other than live entertainment, and as a poor kid, I didn't have access to live. Television has grown unimaginably diverse, and I can watch documentaries, concerts, and cultural offerings (albeit most on Public Broadcasting) far beyond what I could have imagined.
The internet has been developed only in the latter 1/3 of my life, and it is as varied and vast as humanity. What a wonder.
Gay rights have become much more than a hypothetical. As a teen, I didn't have even a vague concept of real gay men beyond one or two out guys who were very similar to one another. I certainly could not dream that society would progress to the point it has reached now. In my thankfulness, I yet pray that my gay brothers abroad will likewise see oppressive laws and customs decrease for them as well.
Civil rights of minorities in general are light years ahead of the 60's when I was born. The mixing of races socially literally began in my area when I was growing up. It has happened in fits and starts with the expected societal pushback, but it has happened. I do indeed have personal friends of various races and there are not barriers erected to prevent us. Is there equality? No. And the horrors of the police abuses, even when perpetrated against criminals, is unacceptable. Still, I give thanks for how far we have come and pray for more.
Then there are cell phones. I cannot thank God for their influence, but I guess the Devil gets his due, too.
What about you? What are you thankful for?