The Lucky Ones

Giving thanks

My family and friends in the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving this time of the year. While the history and tradition of this holiday may not apply to everyone, we all can benefit from taking some time to reflect and give thanks for the life we have.

We are lucky to be here in this moment in time, to be alive, and to be able to express our thoughts and what we’re grateful for.

This is an opportunity to remember all the things we take for granted—from the gift of life itself to the countless blessings of modern day advancements.

“I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.” ~Unknown

Here are a few reminders. Even if you don’t have all of these things, look into your own remarkable being and think of how much life loves you.

You are beyond fortunate to:

Have access to clean drinking water—768 million people lack access to such an essential resource. The number is much higher (up to 2.5 billion human beings) who lack basic sanitation.

Have a home for your family—there are at least 640 million children in our world without adequate shelter.

Have enough food to eat—842 million people in the world do not have enough to eat.

Can access healthcare services—1 billion people don’t have physical access to a hospital, clinic, or doctor of any kind.

Have a source of income—about 1.2 billions people live on less than $1.25 a day and the number doubles to 2.4 billion people living on less than $2 a day.

Can read these words—according to UNESCO, there are about 897 million non-literate youth and adults.

Your home is powered by electricity—over 1.2 billion are still without access to electricity worldwide.

Can access the Internet—about 34% of the world population use the Internet, the 66% majority hasn’t experienced the biggest evolution of our time, yet.

Live in a democracy—33% of the world’s people live under authoritarian, non-democratic regimes and 35% of the world’s people live in countries in which basic political rights and civil liberties are denied (such as freedom of speech, religion, or press).

Have time to read, and learn—instead of spending most of your waking hours trying to survive and provide for your family. For example, women from Sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours a year collecting water.

I’m not trying to bum you out with these statistics. Humanity has come a long way, and things continue to get better. And that’s something to be grateful for.

We are the lucky ones to be alive and to be able to connect with each other in this unprecedented time in human history—to witness and experience exponential growth and advancement, not only in technology, but also in human connection and evolution.

I’m truly thankful for so many things. I’m grateful for all of the above and more—from the basics of a good life, to everyday little things. I’m thankful for:

  • Being alive and able to feel and experience life moment to moment.
  • Being able to love and be loved.
  • Good health and peace of mind.
  • Having access to knowledge and learning resources at my fingertips.
  • Being able to connect with like-minded people all over the world.

I’m also grateful for every experience I’ve had (heartbreak, and betrayal included) for getting me to where I am today.

And last but definitely not least:

I’m truly thankful to each and every one of you. This journey of sharing and exchanging ideas with you has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, and writing to me. You have inspired me beyond words.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you dear friends. May you always be blessed with a life full of love, peace, and gratitude.

And in this season of thanks and giving, I hope you can extend a kind helping hand to someone who needs it. We’re all travelers on this wondrous boat called life. Sharing our gifts with others makes the journey all the more gratifying.

Other articles you might find useful:

Photo Credit

PREVIOUS:
NEXT: