Finneran: Thanksgiving

Friday, November 27, 2015

Tom Finneran, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

Thanksgiving. It’s a peculiar wonderful uniquely American tradition. Don’t let the nonsense of Black Friday or other modern idiocies interfere with your enjoyment of this singular celebration.

Yes, I know that there is a Presidential campaign underway. Yes, I know that the election is now less than a year away. Yes, I know that all the candidates see the unavoidable apocalyptic doom of America lurking right around the corner, unless of course they are elected, in which case purest heaven will come immediately to our villages. Such nonsense should be scraped into the garbage along with the potato peels.

Ignore the doomsday predictions of desperate candidates. Ignore the palpable political ignorance of your crazy uncle or your dippy son-in-law. Enjoy the freedom we have, the family that gathers, and the food we prepare. Enjoy your uncle’s old stories and your son-in-law’s dreams. They add richness to our wealthy world.

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A recent article has held my attention. The author was Kevin Williamson, a magnificent writer who regularly skewers the actions and antics of Democrats and Republicans. The article in question spared the political class and focused on the amazing global progress of mankind. It’s a story for telling, it’s a story for reflection, particularly at Thanksgiving.

The article, “Take a Bow, Species”, begins with a reference to the eradication of Type 2 polio. Polio was one of those dreaded diseases of years gone by, paralyzing many thousands of people worldwide. President Franklin Roosevelt himself was crippled with polio. The disease has now been wiped out. Take a bow, species.

Next on the hit parade of human horrors to be wiped out will be measles and rubella, long-time scourges of life, bearers of misery and death for millions of children around the world. Take a bow, species.

The article next references global poverty. We all know that economists track and trace many obscurities which is why they are often the butt of jokes. But they are serious folks with serious insights into human affairs. One of the more interesting measures they have researched and defined is “extreme poverty”, defined as subsistence on less than $1.90 per day. Yes it’s a staggering concept to consider here in 21st century America but in the 1980s, half the human race suffered in extreme poverty. In the year 2000, the rate of such poverty was thirty percent of the world’s population. Today it is less than ten percent of the population and steadily declining. The pace of progress on this front is astounding. Take a bow, species.

Consider the issue of crime here in the United States 25 or 30 years ago. I remember the ‘80s and early ‘90s as a time of anxiety. Murder rates were high, violent crime was a grim reality, robbery and burglary were almost an everyday expectation in city neighborhoods. Today the murder rate in New York City is down 85% from those not so wonderful days of old. National violent crime rates, including robbery and burglary, have dropped more than 50% in the past twenty five years. Say Amen and take a bow, species.

Today we invent, manufacture, and consume the greatest array of products and conveniences ever enjoyed by the human race, so much so that the poorest among us live lives that kings of old could not imagine. The miracles of light, refrigeration, clean water, indoor plumbing, transportation, flight, communication, and medicine are, notwithstanding their ubiquity and abundance, utterly astounding advances. The Sun King in his palace at Versailles was roughing it compared to the average American today. Take a bow, species.

Williamson closes his article with some thoughts upon which our presidential candidates should reflect. He references Burke’s “little platoons” of families, churches, local communities, volunteers, and civic associations accomplishing great things. Those successful attacks on polio, measles, rubella, and other appalling diseases occurred when such platoons of activists and volunteers stepped forward to change and improve the world. Consider the Pan-Mass Challenge as a premier example. Take a bow, species.

Williamson quotes that “the world is healthier, wealthier, and less hungry” than ever before thanks to investors, entrepreneurs, farmers, workers, and bankers, all working without any coordinating central authority. Take a bow, species.

And he acknowledges that the spread of these advances in the human condition has been the work of political leaders on matters such as infrastructure and education. All in all the article is a feast for the mind, leading not to complacency but to appreciation and determination. There’s plenty here for Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio to reflect upon. Even the Donald might want to read it and think……………………we have done much and there is much to do.

Give thanks and have a great Thanksgiving, species.

Finneran: Thanksgiving

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