Dietrich Von Hilderbrand summed up our present American scene in the following 1970 appraisal:
"Our basic attitude of life is one of claiming rights and shunning responsibilities. We have ceased to appreciate the blessings of life, such as health, the beauty of nature, human friendships and love, and then to respond to them with gratitude. Gratitude is the key to happiness. We feel that life owes us the fulfillment of every desire, and if we do not receive this we feel bitter and we feel entitled to take advantage of others. Any question of moral good and evil is eliminated."
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Nearly 30 years have passed since these observations, and little has changed. Can we learn to live with gratitude?
Source: "Proclaim," 1983 #4, p. 39.