Thanksgiving

For five years the Gun's Quotes have always used the exact same quote for this week, Thanksgiving week. After you read the quote you'll understand why.

This quote is old, and I suppose I must state that. Also, some of the statistics are admittedly subjective, meaning that how it defines certain terms dictate how accurate the numbers are. Nevertheless, my goal of this quote is not to give you a statistical education. No, my goal for this week is to help you gain perspective. So here we go:

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a warm place to sleep… you are richer than 75% of people in this world.

“If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, spare change in a dish some place…you are among the top 8% of the wealthy.

“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

“If you have never experienced the dangers of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of physical starvation…you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

“If you can attend a church or temple meeting without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. (HALF the world’s population)

“If your parents are still alive and still married you are very rare; representing 33% of the population in the United States!

“If you hold your head up high, with a smile on your face and are truly thankful…you are truly blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

“If you can, hold someone’s hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder… because you can offer a healing touch. You have more than what most people in the world can imagine.

“If you can read this message you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all. (Regardless of language)”
-Multiple sources, mostly anonymous

Our society views holidays as days when we can get out of school, get off of work, and gorge ourselves silly with food and drink. We find family and friends to spend time with, and generally have a good time. I hope that this week, especially after reading this week's quote, you at the very least consider that Thanksgiving is not just another day, not just a day of fun and festivities, but a day that really has meaning. That meaning is that you have reasons - a lots of them - to be thankful for what you have.

So, over the course of Thanksgiving and in the weeks to come, I challenge you to do these things:

THINK - Think about how jealous the world is of what you have. Even you poor college and high school students are thousands of times richer than many of your peers in 3rd-world countries.
THANK - I would advocate thanking God for the many blessings He has given you, but even if you have different beliefs, at least thanking your parents, grandparents, other family, or friends for helping to make you who you are today.
GIVE - Donate to charity. Help with Habitat for Humanity. Work a day at a soup kitchen. Drop cans off at a can drive. It doesn't matter what you give, just do it. Please don't waste your time and gifts on yourself. You can afford to help somebody else out who needs help.

I hope y'all have a very Blessed, Meaningful, Happy Thanksgiving.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!