Much Reason For Appreciation And Gratitude

I am not a big fan of complaining. Not that I never complain, but I don't like it when I complain and I don't like it when others complain. I am trying to stop:-). We are all blessed. The basis of our lives should be constant gratitude. Gratitude to our parents, to our spouses, to our teachers and to the innumerable people from whom we benefit daily. The mailman, the cashier at the supermarket, the fellow who fills up our tank with gas, the overworked, underpaid people in third world countries who made our clothing etc. etc. and most of all, for the constant chesed of Hashem.

If children would appreciate their parents then they would never go off the derech. How can they cause so much pain to those who gave them life and so much more. The root קלקול of going off the derech is ingratitude.

If people would appreciate their spouses there would be almost no divorce and very little marital friction. He supports you and provides you with companionship and had your beloved children with you - how can you not just dance around him all day? She takes care of your home, gave birth to your children, spends endless hours cooking your food and cleaning your less than pleasant smelling socks. All she deserves from you is jewelry and any other gift she enjoys. Not criticism.

Your doctor, your dentist. They spent years studying so that they can help you feel healthy. Years. They didn't necessarily do it with completely altruistic motivations but they nevertheless deserve much gratitude [see Michtav M'eliyahu Vol. 4 at the beginning]. The list goes on and on.

But people complain and complain.

I don't like when people complain about life in Israel. It is materially better in Israel than it has ever been since the BEGINNING OF TIME. And it just keeps getting better and better. The tehnology keeps advancing, the food is plentiful, the roads are paved and their is beautiful scenery wherever you go. Israel used to be a barren desert not all that long ago. Today, most Israelis live in palaces compared to what was only a small number of years ago. There are people who still remember. I have been living here for under 30 years and see a significant improvement in what was when I first came. BARUCH HASHEM!!!:-)    Life in Israel is SUPER. In ruchniyus, things are better today than they have been at any time since the destruction of the second beis hamikdash. There are so many yeshivos, shuls, schools, rabbonim, sfarim, tzadikim etc. etc. It is true that there are problems here, but that doesn't negate the overwhelming good we enjoy.

I don't like when people bash America. The USA is a wonderful country, with all of its problems. I am no chossid of Obama just as I am no chossid of Netanyahu but at the end of the day, Jews enjoy a blessed existence in the United States.

You don't have to celebrate July 4th or Yom Haatzmaut. EVERY DAY should be July 4th and Yom Haatzmaut. There is so much gratitude to be shown to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for all of his kindness. Look at old pictures and videos of the Yidden on the Lower East Side 90 years ago in their crowded tenement buildings, wearing shmattas and trying to sell a few shmattas to make a FEW PENNIES. America is far from the ideal place for a Jew to live but religious freedoms reign and one can be as observant as he wants and the government even helps support yeshivos, day schools and poor kollel families. If you can - make aliyah tomorrow. But regardless - America is the land of great religious and economic possibilities.

Here is something I came across written by somebody somewhere [not one of us:-)] a number of years ago and following this blog's policy [based on the Rambam and others] of קבל את האמת ממי שאמרה, I present to you his words.


'As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark. The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?'

A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?
D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state.
F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.
H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.
K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.
L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here. I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times to wrap up your fish. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative. With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks. Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'