Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Below, Chris and I share our reasons for why we are so thankful this year.
From Adam: The Case for Gratitude
The past few months have been a busy, even trying, time here at Peak Prosperity. Among the visible activity you've seen on this site, here's a sense of what's been going on behind the scenes:
- New content development - We've been investing a massive amount of time & energy in this. No joke: Jason and I are often spending 12- to 15-hour days in development. Given our goals, we'll be working at this pace through the end of the year, at which point the new content will be introduced to the public.
- New website team - We switched IT firms mid-year, which is akin to jumping from one racecar into another while driving the Indy 500.
- New partnerships - We've been adding some big names to our dance card lately, which is resulting in interesting partnership opportunities. The challenge here is that it takes a lot time to explore these possibilities, and not every one will bear fruit.
- Broken markets - Chris and I are extremely anxious about the current state of the markets. They are so detached now from reality that traditional signaling indicators have little significance anymore. We are spending a tremendous amount of energy identifying the navigation points that do matter as we enter further into this truly uncharted territory of over-liquefied world markets.
I realize the above probably sounds like griping. It's not, though. On the contrary: I'm extremely thankful.
Yes, we're stretched right now, but more than ever, I believe it's in pursuit of work that truly matters.
None of the fundamental challenges described in the Crash Course has been resolved or even abated. But through central planning intervention – a.k.a. robbing from the future (and increasingly the present) to party today; a.k.a. bailouts, currency wars, market manipulation, accelerated resource extraction – a false security blanket has been draped over the eyes of the world populace. Many are happy to release their concerns and believe that the troubles of the past 5 years are now behind us.
We, of course, still see things as they are, not as we wish them to be. And for that, we're very grateful. So we see this time as an even more crucial period to offer folks a "true north" to navigate by, while the fog of central planning meddling is obscuring all familiar landmarks.
And in a perverse way, we're thankful for the extremes to which today's markets are stretching. Every day when we hit a new record high in assets supported by weak fundamentals is one day closer to their breaking point; to the much-needed correction for which our markets are extremely overdue. We don't relish the paper wealth destruction that will accompany this, but in the end, everyone will benefit in the long run from a return to saner baselines.
So we continue with our work of clarifying the most important insights, bringing them to life in more effective ways, on a tech platform that will allow a steady drumbeat of new features, and through partners that can magnify and enhance our message. A great deal to be thankful for.
But, we are most appreciative for the difference Peak Prosperity continues to make in people's lives, including ours. We are always mindful that the key benefit this site offers is the convergence of people of good heart & mind, where important issues are discussed with intelligence and respect, and valuable support is offered in both the virtual and 'real' worlds. So THANK YOU for being an important member of this community.
And as we do each year, let's make the most of the "virtual" Thanksgiving table we've created here at this site, and if you have a moment today, share a thought, story, or photo in the Comments section below of what you're thankful for this season. Remember that while most of us are celebrating today with family and other loved ones, some of us aren't (for reasons of illness, military service, isolation, etc). Sharing in this virtual community may be the most human interaction some of our community members will have today.
From Chris: So Much to be Thankful For
Well, it's that quaint holiday in the U.S. called 'Thanksgiving,' which is probably a remnant harvest holiday where we are to give our thanks for being blessed with an abundant harvest the prior growing season. However, since very few have any idea whatsoever where their food even comes from, it's probably safe to say that not much true appreciation for the abundance of food in our culture gets expressed.
What I am thankful for today, as I am every day, is the immense gift of time that our wondrous energy bequeathment gives us all. We can live in the full comfort of a conditioned home that is neither too hot nor too cold. Basic food calories are easy to come by especially if one is willing and/or able to cook their own from scratch. Water free from common pathogens comes out of the tap.
With the basics of food, shelter, water, and warmth taken care of, we are free to move up the pyramid of actualization and devote as much time as we wish to whatever we want. That is an extraordinary gift.
We live in the age of abundance.
True wealth is more than dollars, or yen or euros or rubles. True wealth is having your health, it is having deep and meaningful relationships with those around you, it is being safe and secure in your daily pursuits, it is having work that is meaningful and fulfilling, and it is living with a daily sense of joy and happiness.
On these fronts, I am truly blessed in life, and it is due to my health, friends, family, work, and deepening sense of what an amazing gift it is to be alive that I feel truly prosperous.
So if giving thanks is really the same as a day of practicing gratitude, then this holiday is a very important one in the year, if not the most important one.
The practice of being actively grateful is tied to happiness, and this has been studied over and over again with repeatable results. Perhaps it should be taught to us somewhere along the line?
Of course, in many cultures and religions, gratitude is deeply embedded:
The traditional Japanese tea ceremony is steeped in gratitude. According to the official tea ceremony etiquette, called the Chado or the Way of the Tea, attendees must focus their words and actions on appreciating their surroundings, their company, and the steaming green beverage they sip on.
This ancient protocol relates to the practice of kei, one of the four cornerstone Zen philosophies integrated in the ritual. Translated as "respect," kei embodies the expression of thankfulness: It requires partakers to bow to the ceremony host before drinking, admire the tea's earthy taste and compliment the beauty of their bowl or cup. Doing so reminds those at the ceremony of their connection to nature and other people.
Customary expressions of gratitude are common in virtually every human culture, and all major religions continually relate back to it. The transient emotion surfaces most often in response to receiving some kind of a gift, whether it's a tangible present from a friend or dodging a near-death situation by sheer chance. In its most basic form, gratitude is the by-product of basic reciprocity. Similar to the brain's dopamine reward system, the positive emotion incentivizes cooperation and serves as a binding force in society.
As an affective reward, gratitude enriches the individual, in addition to the group. Just think about the range of positive emotions – such as hope, trust and relief – that arose the last time you felt truly grateful for something.
According to a Gallup Poll Survey, 95% of people associate gratitude with being at least somewhat happy. About half of us even feel extremely happy when gratitude washes over us.
Gratitude is really a form of becoming observant, of noticing that which is already around us, but somehow not being appreciated. Such is the nature of being human; we are wired to tune out the common so that we might notice the slight deviation from the background. That's part of being hunters and gatherers.
Mostly our wiring works very well, but there are times when we might want to override our basic operating schema to more finely tune our experience here on earth. Gratitude is one of the ways we can do that.
Gratitude brings happiness, so why not have more gratitude in our daily lives?
Often we need the lack of something to really hone our appreciation for whatever it is that got taken away. Every single time I suffer some debilitating injury, I go through this process. When I had a knee injury leading to 6 weeks on crutches, I suddenly became very appreciative of the ability to go up stairs easily, the sense of power in my healthy knee, and the liberation of having two free hands when trying to cook.
A loss reminds us of what we had, but gratitude is the way of reminding us of what we have while we still have it.
Everything in life is change, and nothing is permanent. Gratitude is a way of appreciating what we have in the moment, because all we ever really have is the current moment.
It seems that something so profound should have been expressed by someone along the line...oh wait, I guess it was:
If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the moment.
~ Lao Tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)
So my invitation for today is to find what you are truly grateful for in your life, and to be at peace.
~ Chris and Adam
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://peakprosperity.com/a-world-of-thanks/
