“Gratitude is the cure.”-Gary Vaynerchuk
It’s a curious thing, to be grateful. Taking the moment to acknowledge the goodness of the present moment. Whether that be the beauty of a sunset, good company, praising God, money in the bank, the roof over your head, food on the table, the glass of water on your desk, or the abundance of resources you have access to, gratitude has a lot of opportunity to enter our lives- if we choose to see it.
There’s a reason we’re encouraged to focus on the good by the Apostle Paul in the 4th Chapter of his letter to the Philippians in verse 8: ‘Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.’
We Have Our Perspective in Our Hands:
There are a variety of directions our thoughts can go. Many things can occupy our minds throughout the day, and the culmination of those thoughts can sway the direction of the day; is it going to be a good day? Or a bad one? You decide.
Our mind runs wild, but we have the power to direct our thoughts. We may not always be able to control our environment, but we can always control our perspective.
Being a Light in A Dark World:
There’s tons to be thankful for. We can focus on the bad all we want- because there is indeed great amounts of it… However, just observing and pointing out injustice and wrongdoing isn’t the total solution; action must be taken. We must see the good that is available to overcome whatever issues we may face, and pursue it to the fullest. There’s so much adversity to good out there, but there’s an unseen and most certainly underappreciated presence of good in the world as well.
Our goal with OTFM is to uphold and to encourage the regular exercise of individual freedom at every level of society, as well as to shine a light on things that are there to help humanity move forward. We do intend to bring attention to corruption and things that have/can go wrong, but not to do it hopelessly.
Innovation, Voluntary Exchange, Competition, Opportunity. The virtues of the free market are very much alive, especially in this age of interconnectivity. Though not as widespread as possible, there is a growing amount of justice, opportunity and liberty being brought to societies who may have never thought possible in decades past. Blockchain, The internet in general, global communication and rising standards of living world-wide are bringing a new perspective on life to so many right now.
The fact that these innovations and movements in technology and society exist at all is a blessing and brings great hope. The market always wins, when individuals have the control to do what they will with their own lives.
Gratitude For The Experience:
Though we talk a lot about the problems we face in our semi free market society, we ought to take time to appreciate what we do have, so that we can truly see the goodness and value of the freedoms that we desire to sustain.
It’s amazing to be in a place that values and sustains basic human rights like freedom of speech, our right to protest, to worship how we please, and our other God-given constitutional rights. A place where we have decentralized government, where everyday people can have a political impact. A place where you can go to sleep dirt poor and wake up a millionaire. Where social and economic classes can interact and cross paths.
The U.S.A may not be perfect- far from it- but it’s good to know that places in the world exist where people can have a voice, make a difference, and pursue a free life. It’s a blessing to be where we are today, having access to all that we do in all areas of life. May we always be grateful and hopeful, actively pursuing and looking for what is good, right, just and true. Thank you.
