As I sit here writing my blog, I am embedded with pristine comfort everywhere I look. I have a roof over my head. I have running water. I have electricity. And I have my relative health and wealth. I have much to be grateful for.
I realize that there are a lot of things in life that I kind of take for granted. That feels like it was simply given to me at an early age. After all, I live in a first world country. I grew up having access to clothes, shoes, and basic hygiene.
My well-being is dependent on so many things going right in this world. From depending on the infrastructure of my city to stay intact, so that bridges do not collapse, roads do not cave in, and buildings do not crumble.
I depend on modern medicine to produce lifesaving medication and technologies for my loved ones to survive and thrive. I depend on my business customers to purchase materials and have inherent trust in them to pay me for my services in a respectable amount of time. And I depend on my supplier’s factories to continue producing high quality material that will continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future.
I depend on the doctors and nurses in this city to provide life-saving advice on how to live a full and healthy life. I depend on the Internet to learn basic tips on how to maintain my physical health and financial literacy. I depend on my family, my friends, and my loved ones for emotional support during tough times. So, there is a lot of inherent trust that we need to have a fulfilling life.
In this day and age, we tend to like to complain about the government. We like to complain about the injustices that befall us on a day-to-day basis, whether we deserve it or not. Alas, life simply isn’t fair to any of us – no matter how rich or poor we seem to be. Struggles and complexities come for us all.
There was the basic mistrust of vaccines back then when the COVID pandemic was at its height. There was the basic distrust in this democracy and the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. There are a lot of complaints every time we turn on the TV and the news these days that make it seem like society is crumbling before our very eyes.
And yes, there are problems no doubt. But I feel like there are many things that are still intact and reliable. Human ingenuity and creativity are not to be trifled with. We have made so many advances in technology and convenience that have helped lift many people in this world out of poverty. And we have continued to have access to resources allowing us to live healthy and fulfilling lives. I am grateful to be in the situation that I am in today.
Despite all the problems in this world (and there are many), life has actually kind of improved over this past century. Things have gotten so much better for many people in this world. And many systems are still in place and have not yet crumbled to dust. Buildings continue to be built and sustain themselves. Life-saving vaccines continue to be developed. Cutting-edge knowledge continues to be documented in books and literature.
There is so much to be trusted in this world, simply because we have no choice but to trust them. We trust that our stovetops will continue to produce heat allowing us to cook a nice home-cooked meal. We trust that our showers will continue to run to maintain our hygiene. We trust that the toilets will continue to flush. That the toothbrush and toothpastes will continue to work their magic. We trust that the apartments we live in and the houses we live in will stay intact.
We trust the weathermen to provide us with accurate forecasts to allow us to prepare for the day and week ahead. We trust science to produce life-saving treatments. We trust the large corporations today to produce top-notch products and services. And yes, we need to trust our government that they will continue to take care of us as we advance in age.
We trust because we must. There simply is no other choice. Because everyone’s life is so dependent on others to sustain ourselves. We are not in it alone. We never have been. The people that are here on this planet now (and the ones that were on this planet and the ones that will be on this planet) are all interconnected and all dependent on each other to survive.
So, please be grateful for your situation. Be grateful that your running water is still running. That you can communicate through social media and iPhones to myriads of people across the world. That the subways are still working. That there are groceries being delivered to your doorstep. And that, in general, human beings continue to research and advance themselves for the next day and age.
We are in this together and we always have been.