Trigger warning: child rape.
I saw a couple of videos on TikTok that left people speechless.
The first was from a podcast where a Trump supporter said that he didn’t care if he was in the Epstein Files or did any of the horrible things he’s alleged to have done. He then had the audacity to ask the interviewer, “What’s so bad about child rape?” The interviewer was left speechless. There’s only one reason someone would allow such horrible acts to be done to a child. I hoped that after the interviewer regained his power of speech, he called the police.
The other was part of a social experiment where people are told, “There’s a mother who can’t feed her starving baby because she can’t afford formula. Can you help her?” In this video, the ones being asked are children ages 6–11. All of the children, without hesitation, gathered whatever money they had and begged their parents, “Can we go help them now?” The TikToker who duetted this video wasn’t just speechless; she was in tears. To see such compassion from children was moving, but it was also maddening when you look at the megachurches who wouldn’t offer the same aid.
What separates the children who would give their last penny to a starving baby and the adults who would prey on them? It’s not simply morality, because people throughout history have used “morality” to justify committing the most heinous acts. (My granddaughter is learning about the Crusades, so she knows.) It comes down to our ability to see others, care about them, and consider the impact of our actions on them.
To the greedy, the predatory, and the cruel, no one exists outside of themselves. They only see other people as objects to be used and discarded. For the narcissist, gratification comes before anything else. And if people suffer as a result, it’s not their problem. Or worse, they find pleasure in others’ suffering.
But for the rest of us, we see and care for others, including those who are different from us. When people are suffering, we want to help them. When people are vulnerable, we want to protect them. That’s where gratitude comes in. Because we are grateful for the good that has been done for us, we want to do good for others. Part of expressing our thankfulness is sharing our abundance with those who have less. And the joy that beams from their gratitude brings joy to ourselves. The giving is the gift.
I doubt Trump and his coterie have sincerely said thank you to anyone in their lives. You can see it in all the things they’ve done. The contractors from Atlantic City to the East Wing they haven’t paid. The once-close allies they’ve thrown under the bus the moment they raise any questions. All the failed marriages and broken ties to family members. And of course, all the horrible things they’ve allegedly done to children. These are the signs of people who have never shown any gratitude because they never cared enough about anyone else to feel it.
Gratitude prevents us from becoming like them. We know we depend on the generosity of others, so we are generous to them. They aren’t objects to be used, but fellow people to be cared for and supported. We don’t fly off to our own island of solipsism and self-gratification. Gratitude keeps us connected and engaged.
This Thanksgiving, let us be grateful for the good in our lives and the good we can do for others. Because of that gratitude, we’ll never become as vile and depraved as those people. That’s something to be thankful for.
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