Giving thanks

It should be easy for the privileged to feel thankful, to express thanks...  I consider myself to be among the privileged:  safe and comfortable surroundings, sufficient money (perhaps even more money than brains), validating work, appreciation by family and friends, stimulating colleagues, opportunities for expressing myself...

Why, then, is there such an important core of entitlement?  Honestly, what am I entitled to?

I've been tackling the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the Québec Charter of Rights with my political science students and am feeling overwhelmed by this.  It's all about us; it's all about entitlement -- our entitlement.  The obligations, responsibilities part seems to be veiled, not just on paper, but in our thinking.

Nothing is ever our fault; we have no-fault insurance even if we are careless in our driving.  We have unions to protect us even if we are in the wrong in the workplace.  In Québec, there's a law protecting consumers with respect to posted prices in stores.  If a store makes an error, we can get stuff for free (I have a free kettle, a free coffee maker, all because of erroneous pricing on store shelves -- stuff I was prepared to pay for).

I'm told that at the town dump in spring time, the stench coming from discarded game and fish from people's freezers is overwhelming.  We hunt and fish (have licenses to do that), we eat some of it, discard the rest to make room in our freezers for the next abundance which will also be neglected and spoiled.

Should I be thankful for these circumstances?

Since I am over 60 years old, I am now entitled to a free flu shot in the fall, am greatly encouraged by the local nurse to take advantage of this privilege.  Never mind that the flu shot is to protect me against something that might not even make an appearance this winter...  I have a hard time with innoculation of any kind, the kind of thinking that only privilege can trigger.  After all, I am not at risk for many deadly diseases, and I am closer to death than to the beginning of my life...  Even if I get a flu without having been innoculated the medical system will kick in and do something to fix me.  I'm entitled to that, it appears.

Skiers and snow-boarders are entitled to their snow; fishers to their fish; me to my books and handsome salary and benefits.  I even feel I am entitled to feel comfortable about all of this.

Thank you to the under-privileged who make this privilege possible, who make MY privilege possible.  One group can only exist because the other one does.