THE ENTERPRISE
On this Thanksgiving weekend, I thought it would be good to consider all of the things I should be thankful for...and as I started to list them all...I realized just how fortunate I was. The point of this is not my list. It's yours. If you didn't make one, there is no time limit. Start now.
Some years ago when I was talking to the Covey Leadership Center about doing some work with them, they related an interesting survey they had done. They asked people from countries all over the world to list the three things they were most thankful for. As you might imagine, a couple of the most commonly listed items were family/loved ones and good health/good fortune.
There was one surprising item that appeared on many of the foreign lists (where it was applicable) and none of the surveys done in the US. What was that one item so appreciated around the world, but not here in the US? FREEDOM. Think about it. To be able to speak freely; worship freely; move about the country freely; live where you want; accumulate personal wealth and keep it (well, some of it); communicate and form gatherings freely, and so on.
Perhaps freedom is like good health. It is never so much appreciated than when it is lost or nearly lost. So, on this Thanksgiving weekend. Make your own list and be thankful, to God (or whatever Supreme Being you choose--because that too is a Freedom). On this Thanksgiving, I also want thank all of those brave men and women who have served and who still serve in our Armed Forces, helping to protect our freedoms in the US, past and future (some of whom receive and read THE ENTERPRISE).
I hope this was a wonderful weekend for you and yours, and that you enjoyed it immensely. Thanks to all those who read THE ENTERPRISE, and to the many who either praise it ... or challenge the positions I take in it. The right to dissent openly is another of those freedoms. The freedom to express myself is one which I obviously cherish....but without readers...that too would be meaningless.
Let's all pledge to make the next year the best we can make it...however each of us interprets that...so we can give thanks again next year for all of our blessings. A Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Best, John
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