Countdown to Christmas 2023
1 - Gratitude
- It seems hard to believe when looking at the daily news flow; but we live in the best of all times. The world is richer, more peaceful, more interconnected, and just full of miracles of technological advancement and innovation. Just look around for a second and be grateful!
- Although liberal institutions play an important role in this story of human progress, liberals don’t take false credit for it. Instead, they acknowledge that this is the result of all of the hard work, ingenuity, kindness, and generosity of all humanity. Thanks for your contribution btw!
- There is no greater analogy to represent this idea than the moment you buy your morning coffee. You display your gratitude with the “Thank you!” you utter when your Scandinavian barista hands over your specialty coffee. And they “Thank you!” when you hand over the money. Gratitude is a daily habit of the liberal world!
Frans Snyders’s market scenes are amongst my favorite paintings. His magnificent still lives do only spark aesthetic joy in me; but they also serve as a great reminder to be grateful for the miracles of commerce. Snyders portrays the abundance of the marketplace in such wonderful ways. In the past, such a rich variety of products that we find on those market stalls was not even available to nobles, kings, and queens. Now, the ordinary person (such as myself) can taste the wonders of the world on a daily.
