Why I Am Thankful
Now let this be a bragging post such that others may consider my biases in a fair light. If I were born behind the veil of ignorance I’d like to retain some of my qualities and traits that I would have chosen -
- Tolerance for discomfort. Excepting cold, I am able to be uncomfortable both physically and mentally for long periods of time. This fact is one of the reasons why I can run for long periods, even if I have a stress fracture in my foot. The same goes for my incredibly isolating summer internships which nonetheless gave me a great head start in my career.
- Less sleep needed. My paternal line sleeps for an average of six hours a day. Luckily, I also got this trait. +2 hours/day is quite a bit and allows me to read and write more.
- Born in America. Despite its faults, being born in America gives one access to more opportunities than anywhere else owing to its material condition. There is quite a way to fall, yes. Regardless, one benefits by living in the center of a unipolar world.
- Morally lucky. It’s nice that I was raised with values in accordance with most of society which happen to be prosocial. If I were raised by others this may not have been the case! And, the way in which these values are abnormal benefits me in that they cause me to value going outside more than average.
- Mobility. It is not guaranteed that one is born into a life capable of movement. That I am, in all senses, is nice!
We do not choose how we are born and this is all the more reason to be thankful for what we have.