Even during hard times, you can give thanks
From inside the Washington bubble, it can be hard to think that there is much to be thankful for today. Politics is noisy and divided. That noise once stayed in sleepy marble halls and the black and white pages of the newspaper. Now that we are constantly surrounded by politics, what in all this rancor and din is there to be thankful for?
Politics even wades into what should be the "purest" and "safest" time possible, time with family and friends. There are blog posts, podcast segments, and taped filler on the morning news shows about how to deal with political disagreements at Thanksgiving dinner. Early imbibing followed by sitting at cramped dinner tables heightens any sense of intergenerational strife. Discussions about hot button issues may descend into an exchange of tropes about millennials, met with an eye roll and, "okay, boomer." When everyone is on their phones, there will be that aunt or uncle or niece or nephew who posted a meme about, say, immigration, that came from, depending on your inclination, either a Russian internet factory or an astroturfer funded by George Soros.
All the big topics we talk about inside the Beltway can find their way to Thanksgiving dinner. The intergenerational tension plays out in all the debates on how to pay a range of debts without overwhelming the potential of the future. We see this in climate, infrastructure, education, criminal justice, and, yes, the rapidly growing debt itself. Culture wars divide us at home, while we debate how to approach to an interconnected worldparadoxically, one healthier and more enlightened than ever before, yet also seeming so unstable and precarious. All of this comes through an inescapable 24/7 news cycle, and our news is delivered through a combination of self-selected partisan news outlets, precision-targeted algorithms, and social media vulnerable to both foreign disinformation and everything from mere groupthink to full blown mob mentality.
But, then again, take a moment to think about all those things. In a strange way, each of those issues dividing us is bound to something for which we can be thankful. The many news outlets we can choose from, as partisan as they may be, they're the result of a free and open media. Social media exists because we live in an era defined by technological innovation and connectivity that previous generations could never imagine. We have heated debates about our role in the world and openness to it - trade, military posture, or immigration - because we are a prosperous and strong nation, one that is a beacon of hope to not only dreamers, thinkers, and doers, but also those who seek freedom.
When it comes to those big issues, the seemingly intractable ones, even they are the result of decades of prosperity and growth. No generation leaves debts like that to the future out of malice. Rather they reflect the technological, social, cultural, and political limitations of their time. Therefore, we can not only be thankful about the advances we've made and the prosperity we've enjoyed, but also that we have driven, globalized, well-educated, and engaged young Americans ready to take up the mantle of leadership.
We can be thankful as Americans that we have this bounty. Our politics, just like any family dinner, can be noisy and messy. But, like any family, we are stronger together. Just as we want our families to be healthy, happy, and growing, we want the same for our country, despite our partisan leanings. This Thanksgiving, let's take some time away from politics, but let's also remember that our shared American experience gives us much for which we can give thanks.