Tiffany glass windows (1905) featuring a sunrise in a forest in springtime and an autumn sunset (1905), in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I published the column below in the Deseret News<\/em> on Thanksgiving Day 2016:<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not insignficant that the verbs \u201cto think\u201d and \u201cto thank\u201d (compare German \u201cdenken\u201d and \u201cdanken\u201d) share the same linguistic root. \u00a0The scriptures are replete with exhortations to \u201cremember,\u201d to reflect, to thank:<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cO give thanks unto the Lord,\u201d says the psalmist (105:1-5), \u201ccall upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.\u00a0 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.\u00a0 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. . . .\u00a0 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even secular-minded people should pause occasionally to consider the blessings that we enjoy. \u00a0We live in a universe, for example, that\u2019s seemingly fine-tuned for our arrival, on a privileged planet where the conditions are primed for life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
But those conditions have existed throughout history.\u00a0 Today, though, most Americans live in unprecedented luxury of which even kings couldn\u2019t have dreamed a few generations ago.\u00a0 Royal castles were drafty and cold then, and lacked plumbing.\u00a0 For us, by contrast, if the weather is too hot, we turn the air conditioning on.\u00a0 If it\u2019s too cold, we have central heating.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
We can, if we choose, enjoy an unimaginably rich cuisine\u2014American one day, Chinese the next.\u00a0 Mexican, Thai, Indian, Japanese, French, Italian.\u00a0 We eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, without regard to season.\u00a0 The diet of a Renaissance prince was poor and monotonous compared to the offerings of a typical American supermarket.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
For most of us, hunger and starvation aren\u2019t the issue; our problem is actually having too much.\u00a0 (Of course, that\u2019s not true of everybody, and now our challenge is to share with those most in need and, ideally, to bring them and others up to a better standard of living.)\u00a0 If anything, the traditional Thanksgiving feast has lost a bit of its \u201cspecialness\u201d because many of us eat pretty well all the time.\u00a0 (One of my students tells me, though, that she\u2019s looking eagerly forward to what she calls \u201cnon-ramen Thursday.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our technology, our labor-saving devices, would astonish our ancestors.\u00a0 We travel at unimaginable speeds in unthinkable comfort; we\u2019re upset if our flight is delayed for thirty minutes, and irritated when we\u2019re handed pretzels rather than peanuts or obliged to sit in a middle seat.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
We listen to the Berlin Philharmonic or to the latest rock or country tunes wherever and whenever we want.\u00a0 We communicate cheaply and instantaneously at great distances.\u00a0 The world\u2019s knowledge is available to us with a few clicks.\u00a0 We watch movies on demand, whenever we choose.\u00a0 In our own homes.\u00a0 Whereas earlier generations were obliged to work from sunrise to sunset in order to survive, we worry about whether we\u2019re getting enough exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many of the diseases that once carried us off can be cured with simple medicines; other ailments can be fixed with routine procedures.\u00a0 Death still takes us eventually but, on the whole, we live pretty well until it does.\u00a0 When our hearing falters, we have hearing aids.\u00a0 We keep our teeth, or else we replace them\u2014along with our hips and our knees.\u00a0 Have you ever thought to be grateful for your glasses or contact lenses?\u00a0 Perhaps you should.\u00a0 What would your life be like without them?<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Latter-day Saints, though, have specific reasons to be thankful, reasons that go far beyond material comforts and technological marvels.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restoration of the gospel in the early nineteenth century provides modern corroboration of the biblical stories.\u00a0 It testifies of Christ\u2019s atoning sacrifice and of his resurrection from the dead, gracious gifts from a loving Father and his selfless Son.\u00a0 Because Christ rose, we too will rise, and the ordinances of the gospel link generations together for all eternity.\u00a0 Life wins.\u00a0 Love wins.\u00a0 The restored gospel tells us of the plan of salvation, a plan of happiness that suffuses our lives with rich and deep meaning.\u00a0 It teaches us of a Heavenly Father who wants us to inherit everything that he has.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cO give thanks unto the Lord,\u201d sings the Psalmist, \u201cfor he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever\u201d (Psalm 107:1)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moreover, the restored gospel teaches us that\u2014like God, who seeks to share everything he has with his children\u2014we should share our abundance with our brothers and sisters.\u00a0 At this season, as at all others.\u00a0 \u201cBe ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect\u201d (Matthew 5:48).<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Posted from Newport Beach, California<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 I published the column below in the Deseret News on Thanksgiving Day 2016: \u00a0 It\u2019s not insignficant that the verbs \u201cto think\u201d and \u201cto thank\u201d (compare German \u201cdenken\u201d and \u201cdanken\u201d) share the same linguistic root. \u00a0The scriptures are replete with exhortations to \u201cremember,\u201d to reflect, to thank: \u00a0 \u201cO give thanks unto the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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