It's often easy to forget how fortunate we are
By JIM SMITH/Daily Democrat Editor
November 23, 2005

The underlying theme of the Thanksgiving holiday is one that, perhaps now more than ever, Americans need to hear: We've got it good.

I was thinking about this Saturday night at the Eid Dinner, sponsored by the Woodland Mosque. It was an interfaith dinner with representatives from a number of area churches and religions. The Eid Dinner celebrates the end of Ramadan in the Muslim faith.

There were also a lot of other "common folk," political and community types in attendance.

Particularly moving for me at the dinner was the recitation of the Quran by Imam Qari Tasawar Iqbal, which was followed by a Jewish blessing and then a traditional Christian prayer.

All offered thanks to God for the meal and the ability to "break bread" with one another.

With all that's been going on this past week in the world and locally, it's important to regain some perspective. The dinner did just that.

Like many, I was shocked and angry at the senseless death of CHP Officer Andy Stevens. Coming so close to the Thanksgiving holiday makes Stevens' death even more revolting.

Then there came the Eid Dinner and an overpowering sense of togetherness.

When you think about it, despite the tragedy which hits us daily - both locally and internationally - we are blessed with a bountiful country. We are a hard-working people and with a strong democratic history. Ours is an existence for which most people throughout history would gladly have given anything.

That's a humbling statement of fact, not a boast. For whatever reason, we who call ourselves Americans have the good fortune of living in the freest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world.

We have it good, all right. So good that we too easily take it for granted.

Unlike the original Pilgrims, for whom a successful harvest made the difference between death and survival, one of the most pressing health problems of our day is obesity - a problem that is, amazingly, pronounced among the poorest of Americans. That is, even the poorest among us have too much to eat, so much that we throw tons of food away every day, even as others starve around the world.

Our health care system is plagued by a similar "problem" - we're living too long. That's why the system teeters on the brink of insolvency. Americans are living longer, healthier lives than ever before, thanks to technologies that are miraculous but also expensive.

And although our nation is at war, this, too, is an odd reflection on our good fortune. Terrorist radicals have set their sights on America precisely because of our cherished liberties. This Thanksgiving, we can be grateful not only for our freedom, but also for the brave men and women fighting and dying to protect it, regardless of how you feel about the war itself.

There are, to be sure, many problems and crises facing our cities, states, nation and world. And one of the best ways to show our gratitude for all that's good is to work constructively to address the weaknesses, iniquities and challenges of our age.

The Eid Dinner helped reaffirm that within me - and hopefully others.

But gratitude also requires that we not lose sight of the bigger picture. By almost any measure, we've got plenty for which to be thankful - starting with our very lives, our families, and the friends and loved ones who celebrate this holiday with us.

I thought about some of this while having dinner and watching the people of different faiths around me talking, laughing and sharing themselves. We all have so much in common in this country that it's often easier to find our differences.

For all these good things, we should be giving our thanks on Thanksgiving.

- Jim Smith is editor of The Daily Democrat. Write to him at The Daily Democrat, 711 Main St., Woodland, Calif., 95695; or e-mail him at ddnews@dailydemocrat.com

Woodland Mosque and Islamic Center
1023 North Street
Woodland, CA 95695
(530) 666-4706
www.woodlandmosque.net