Society & Politics

5 Things to Be Grateful For as an American

Since Thanksgiving season is coming up, I think this is the perfect time to show our gratitude for being Americans. Here are things that we should be grateful for.

Note: These are things that the average middle-class American probably has. These are obviously not things that the poorest of the poor or homeless people have.

Things to Be Grateful for as an American

Clean Water

The necessity of clean water is what most Americans take for granted. The water is clean, because it has been chlorinated. The water is easily accessible because of the pipes that run through buildings. Without this easy access of clean water, cities would not be possible, and human settlements would be very dependent on collected rainwater or spring water or well water. Humans would die every day by cholera. With a shortened lifespan, humans would have to marry earlier, maybe in their teens, and it'll be the teens that replenish the population with more people. Though, lack of clean water means lack of proper hygiene and sanitation, so it is possible that women would die of infections during childbirth, making childbirth extremely dangerous and risky.

5 Things to Be Grateful For as an American

24/7 Food Supply

In America, there is food everywhere. Food is a necessity and a commodity. Though, some stores sell stuff that looks like food and tastes like food, but really, it's just a large amount of sugar and milk. For example, ice cream can come in so many varieties, but the varieties are just different formulations of sugar, milk, flavors, colors, and preservatives. The abundance of food is comforting. Americans never have to go into the wild and trap a rat for supper or pick berries or migrate to a different part of the country to follow the food supply. They just have to go to the store and buy the food with metal coins and valuable pieces of paper and handheld magnetic stripe cards. With someone else supplying the food (usually in the form of a corporation), many Americans have no idea where their food comes from. They just know that it's there, and they eat it. It's a no-brainer. If they want to know what's in it, then they can just flip the product and check out the FDA-regulated label, but they probably don't know half of the stuff on there anyway, and with busy work schedules, people just want to buy the food and enjoy it.

5 Things to Be Grateful For as an American

Indoor Plumbing

Many Americans likely have indoor plumbing. Having indoor plumbing is totally better than having an outdoor "toilet" that does not take the human wastes anywhere. The sewage water would be treated at the sewage treatment plant before dumping it back into the environment. This infrastructure is vital for any modern society, because without it, people would literally be living in their own wastes, and cities would be the most dangerous places to live in.

5 Things to Be Grateful For as an American

Electricity

Americans are extremely reliant on electricity powered by fossil fuels and other electricity-generating sources. Electricity is needed to turn on and off the lights, so that businesses can open stores around the clock, that street corners can be properly lit to deter criminals, and that people can see where they are going in the middle of the night. Electricity is required in the alarm clock that wakes people up in the morning, in the stove that heats up food, in the car that takes people to work or school or elsewhere, and in people's cell phones to make contact with other people (or just to play games). Electricity just makes life comfortable, but it is not required to survive. It is possible to survive without electricity, but many people do not have the necessary survival skills, such as trapping small prey (house mouse and Norway rats), knowing what type of wild plants are edible, and knowing how to cultivate domesticated plants for human consumption that would produce a sustainable yield. Even if people did have those skills, then the next big impediment would be eating the unusual food. Americans are so accustomed to buying the edible parts of the plants and animals in neat little packages in supermarkets that eating anything other than the familiar would be a joke. Besides, who has the time to catch prey that bounces around all the time when one can just get meat from the butcher?

5 Things to Be Grateful For as an American

Fast Transportation

Americans ride in buses, trains, subways, airplanes, personal cars, motor homes, etc. The vehicles help people move faster, allowing people to commute to work/school in a faraway location. No longer are people stuck in one area and can only work and live in that area for life. If the economy is sluggish in one location, then the residents can move out. Moving out just means getting inside the personal car and driving to the new destination. There are usually no dangers except traffic violations. With such easy and fast transportation, who needs to walk anymore? Nah, let's just grab something at the Drive-Thru and eat on the go! The best part about Drive-Thrus is that they provide extra convenience without ever charging you extra for the convenience! What a bargain!

5 Things to Be Grateful For as an American
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