The caption of this piece implies that one should be grateful for what one has. To this one can add those negative things that could have befallen on one, but didn’t.
The fact that nothing went wrong when we were born is in itself no small wonder. Obstetricians will tell you all that can go wrong at child-birth. Crossing that hurdle unscathed is a divine benediction.
We live in a dangerous world. Food and water have turned into poison due to pollution. The roads have turned into death traps. The Mafioso and terrorists kill innocents at the drop of a hat. The fact that we didn’t perish in these and many more threats to life is a blessing.
Since the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the world has not been on the brink of a nuclear Armageddon. Yet, the stockpiles of WMDs have grown exponentially showing the suicidal tendency of the human race. Yet, some sane minds have been able to avert catastrophe which is a blessing.
Nations across the globe wither due to the corruption that gnaws into the vitals of the civil society. Political bigotry, from local to global level, has made life miserable for the vulnerable. But despite these scourges the mankind has excelled in science and technology that can bring succour to the suffering millions which is fortunate.
Then, why do we whine? Because that is inherent to human nature. We yearn for things we don’t have. We try to be someone we are not. That, in a nutshell, is the trouble.
PARADISE LOST 