November 27: We've much to be thankful for

In which, we pause to give thanks and take a deep breath (or two, or ten)

There’s more to be thankful for than we realize

I hope this (very) brief newsletter finds you and your loved ones healthy and being restored this Thanksgiving weekend. It’s been a long year, discouraging for many, and you don’t have to go too far down the news rabbit hole to experience the extinguishing of any glimmers of joy and silver linings. And that’s unfortunate because we have a TON to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. So, the themes of this week’s Weekly Brief is thankfulness (big surprise) and brevity.

Thankfulness because I believe there’s plenty of evidence that we can be thankful for a good many things, even in the context of some of our biggest challenges. Brevity, because this is a holiday weekend and there’s more important things to focus on than more new (even if it comes so delightfully packaged as it does here) like thankfulness and hopefulness as we head towards Advent/Christmas.

Be thankful for silver linings

I’m going to focus on the two biggest stories of the year here, the election and Covid. Both have proven to be major stress tests on the United State (jury's out on the final grade), but there are still some causes for thankfulness.

Election 2020

Election Day, businesses across the country were boarding up their windows in anticipation of mass protests and riots as the campaign had seen all manner of breathless speculation on the possibility of civil conflict if either side won. Both sides were accusing the other of trying to “steal” the election, which in turn poisoned whatever was left of goodwill between the opposing base of voters. A grim picture, perhaps, but an overwrought one.

However, Election Day came, it went, and here we are. As I write this, recounts are being finished and results certified indicating a Biden victory, which should be made official when the Electoral College meets in December. All with minimal unrest. Scattered protests and violence to be sure, but nothing near what many had assumed.

The next big issue, which was a major talking point for Democrats throughout the year, was if President Trump would accept a loss and willingly vacate the Oval Office. In the latest evidence that this too is an unfounded concern, the White House started giving Biden access to the daily presidential intelligence briefings, and the General Services Administration has begun working with the Biden team to prepare for a smooth transition to a Biden administration.

So, be thankful that our electoral process is working from the collecting and counting of ballots, to the court reviews, to the transition process. 

In a month that has seen actual civil unrest, violence and genuine constitutional crises from Ethiopia to Peru to Guatemala to Uganda, this is no small accomplishment. We can be thankful that America’s long tradition of peaceful (though often messy) transfers of power is continuing (and anyone who continues to say otherwise ought to be ashamed of themselves). 

Covid-19

What could we be possibly thankful for related to Covid? Well, for starters, how about multiple vaccines showing up and being ready for distribution more or less on time? Remember, early on when the vaccine process was just beginning, along with some promising candidates stumbling out of the gate, some experts were saying we may have to wait until 2021 to get a vaccine. The Trump administration was ridiculed for insisting that we’d have one by the end of the year. 

Now, the CDC chief says the first vaccine should be ready by mid-December. However, you feel about vaccines, or whether you’ll get one or not, we can be thankful that a major step towards beating this pandemic has been accomplished in a rather short period of time. 

Additionally, while case counts continue to climb, the fatality rate of this nasty bug remains incredibly low. Again, regardless of how you feel about the efficacy of masks and lockdowns, we should all be thankful that this thing has turned out to be not nearly as deadly as it was initially believed to be.

An extra helping of thankfulness

A bonus point of thankfulness: America is not at war. Four years ago, I had multiple discussions with individuals insistent that a President Trump would get America involved in yet more wars. That has not happened as of this writing. While I suppose anything could happen in the next two months, I’m inclined to think that starting a war is not on the President’s short list. We can be thankful that we just went through the first presidential term in the 21st century that did not get us embroiled in another war.

Finally…

Those are three big things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving: a largely peaceful election in a stable democracy, no new wars, and the turning of the tide on Covid.

I’m also thankful for you, my readers, who have been so generous and encouraging in your support this year. Like many of you, I’m tired and burnt out by 2020, but my hopeful outlook for the year ahead continues unabated, and I look forward to continuing to serve you to the best of my ability in the weeks ahead.

Happy Thanksgiving!