Enough Already!

This Thanksgiving, as I read news stories about people in this country out of work trying to pay bills and put food on the table, and countless numbers around the world who are chronically short of food and basic necessities, it’s hard for us with jobs or good pensions, or both, not to be thankful for what we have.

But, then, this depends on what we are satisfied with.  The word “satisfied” often suggests abundance, but it actually comes from a Latin word “satis,” which simply means “enough.”  How much is enough?  That’s a challenging question for members of a society bent on accumulating more things and possessions.  But, I suspect for most of us, if we’re honest, it means far less than what we think we need and maybe a lot less than what we already have.

Recently, we had a chance to hear author Michael Schut discuss his book, “Money and Faith: The Search for Enough,” a series of essays he compiled by authors as diverse as Henri Nouwen and Dave Barry. Schut spoke mostly on a macro scale.  Among other things, he noted that the U.S. constitutes 5 percent of the world’s population, yet consumes 24 percent of the world’s energy resources and is responsible for 72 percent of the world’s hazardous waste.  Yet, getting this country to do something about that imbalance is a tough, almost impossible, political challenge.

Then, there’s the baffling case of tax cuts for the super rich, which apparently Congress will allow to continue because tax cuts for the middle class and the least affluent members of society are being held hostage in the process.  This even though, according to one reliable source, the wealthiest 1 percent of families owns roughly 34 percent of the nation's net worth, the top 10 percent of families owns over 71 percent, and the bottom 40 percent of the population owns way less than 1 percent.  Yet, the Tea Party and other conservatives seem to be okay with this, even though we we’ll have to knock on China’s door again, asking to borrow another $700 billion to pay for the tax cut for the wealthiest.

On the other hand, when the President, out of concern for the 30-40 million Americans who don’t have access to affordable health care, makes that his top political priority and helps usher health reform through the Congress, their anger sparked a political firestorm that wreaked havoc in the last election.  Don’t try to get your head around that – it’ll give you a headache.

But, in the spirit of the season, let’s not finish on such a downer.  Instead, let’s end with a stunning example of how one incredibly generous person has answered the question of how much is enough. It’s an example provided by Sue Hendon, wife of my long-time friend and former FAA colleague, George Hendon.

In a recent letter, George wrote that Sue was at a Costco store in Kansas City when she ran into an acquaintance, not a close friend, who told her that her husband was approaching renal failure and was looking for a suitable kidney donor.  Not one of the seven family members and friends who had volunteered provided a suitable match, the woman said. Sue thought: Well, we can’t allow this to happen. But, she went home and discussed it with George first.  Two days later, she had made up her mind.  As it turned out, she was a perfect match, and three days after the operation she was home.  George says that Sue’s explanation for her selfless act was simple: “If you had two cookies and a good friend desperately needed one, wouldn’t you offer one of yours?  Of course, you would.”

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Gerald E. Lavey