Published once a week in Palmer, Alaska !for the ^atahuska Valley Farmers’
Cooperating Association for the purpose of giving news of the Associations
work, problems and accomplishments.
WI-IAT DO WE HAVE TO BE THANKFUL fOR ?
Almost every day the average person hears so many things about apparently unsolvable
questions that we wonder what we really have to live for. The newspapers and radio
tell us about the war and the intense rivalry between nations. One day we are.go
ing to be destroyed by an atom bomb, the next day we are faced with the problem of
getting enough food to enable us to live. Then we are surely going to be enslaved
by some undesirable people who have foreign ideas "about- government that will des
troy our freedom and religious organizations. The politicians then let out a blast
about their opposition that indicates we are swiftly going' to the dogs and what
not. If we were to believe all we hear* and wanted to do the proper thing open to
us, then we would probably go'out and jump in a deep swift river and end it all.
However, in spite of all this, the average human being still tries to hold unto
life, only the abnormal actually get worked up enough to end it all by some violent
means. In fact, the old saying ’’hope springs eternal in the human breasf'is the
rule rather than the exception. Without even considering the question seriously,
we accept the fact that life is worth while and that there is some compensation for
all the trying things of life, that makes life worth living, even in a world as •
imperfect as ours.
When one considers the really fundamental needs of the average person it is not too
great; first comes food, then clothing, then shelter. Many other things are desir
able but one can live without a great many of the things we usually get and con
sider important. In the last great world war millions of people wrere bombed out of
their homes, food was almost non-existent for long periods of time, clothing was
very scarce and usually irreplaceable. There was constant fear of inhuman treat
ment by their conquerors, parents were taken from their children and sometimes ex
ecuted without reason. Military and civilian control -was executed by many people
of the most cruel sadistic nature possible. Yet in spite of it all millions of
people lived through it and even though there was nothing of a helpful nature to
look forward to after the war was over, they still hung unto life and hoped for the
future.
Now in view of this fact, what do we have to be thankful for? Fell it seems to me
that we have plenty. We all have enough to eat, almost everyone has adequate cloth
ing and even though some do not have homes of their own, they can get some place
where they can live in fair comfort even though crowded. None of us worry too much
about these things, no, we worry about the things we could get along without. Mrs.
Jones worries because Mrs. Brown's husband has a better job than her husband, or a
better car or because some rival neighbor has become more popular -with the social
set. Mr. Jones worries because Mr. Brown made a few dollars on a business deal that
he would have liked to have made; or because Jones was elected on the school board
instead of him. The children worry because other children have better clothes (even
though theirs are moire suitable for school). So when you add it all together most
of our worries are silly.
If the average person mil just sit down and think about the things we have and that
are available to us, in comparison to most of the rest of the world, then we should
feel pretty humble. Not only do we have the fundamental needs of life, but also a
great number of luxuries and the atmosphere in which to enjoy them. There is an al
most inexhaustable supply of books to feed the intellect, social affairs that relax
the body and mind and take the cares of the day away from our doorstep.
Continued Page ii