At the same time, supporting & boosting the moral and well-being of active-duty military, reserve troops, national guard, veterans, & their families In Response To An Issue That Has Troubled Me
Late one evening, I took my pen in hand and began writing my feelings in an attempt to bring a resolution, or an understanding and a remedy, to a feeling that began to grow within me several years ag
o, striking deep within my heart. It was a gnawing and troublesome feeling, much like a deep regret, yet I knew there had been no activity on my part to cause such a feeling. As the years progressed, this feeling came and went, but steadily grew into something akin to despair as I sat silently by, watching love, loyalty, and honor of character slowly dying. Our children are unknowingly, relying on those who lead, teach, and mentor, having their hands bound, their tongues tied, and their spirits held back by the curriculum and the authorities who derive joy in handing down ultimatums, weakly reasoned rationales, and endless rules. Rules that bind one's freedom, hold back gratitude, and slowly destroy the will of young patriots who love their freedom, their country, and their creator - this being the one thing patriots have had since winning their freedom and escaping tyranny so long ago. It seems impossible that people have forgotten that there was a time when they were not free to believe, worship, and live by their own choices and facing the consequences of those choices. Have we learned nothing from the events of the past - that we must fight adversity, greed, and control of the powerful over the weak? Was it not our forefathers who stood up for these things and paid the bill of true freedom with their own blood, bestowing upon us the very freedom we take for granted? Was not every drop of blood that was spilled on behalf of our free agency not enough? Awaken from your blind sleep and see the conditioning our children our receiving. They are being taught the dual messages of victimization and entitlement, not gratitude! It is these thoughts that drove me to expound on my feelings, while wondering if I was the only person who was seeing and feeling these things. Is not gratitude the very root element of those who are held up as pillars of great character? Was it not gratitude that Europe felt when thousands of patriots gave their all, setting freedom in place of evil tyranny that would have enslaved them? The end result of this was, in fact, the exhilaration of freedom and service for our fellow man - it was a glorious time to be alive. It was a time when great strength of character ruled the day. When we could rely on unspoken laws like "a fair product for a fair price" or "if you're going to build make or do something, you would do it your very best." Giving your word and a handshake was your bond in creating prosperity between people. A hardworking person could own a home, raise a family, send their kids to college, and comfortably retire. I contend that this was all due to gratitude being taught, mentored, and lived by. But those days seem to be gone, for the most part, as global corporations make a very few at the top wealthy by any means necessary. The successful family businesses that flourished under caring and community-minded leadership, are wasting away with. There are few leaders who are willing to accept responsibility, save it be by the universal lament: "that's just how it is now." Or the one I really despise: "Sorry that you're in that state of affairs, but the computer's telling me that there is nothing I can do about it." Reputations have become meaningless and looking out for your fellow man is considered the antithesis of good business. But there is a way out. I believe there is an answer! The security and success of all the thriving entities around us still relies on the good work of patriots. Patriots who will give their all to keep evil and tyranny at bay. Global corporations, no matter how rich or powerful they have become, all lack what patriots have within themselves - a core of honestly, learned from each of our own pasts and magnified and given to our children, who now have the truth. This is where it becomes easy to see a better way. Children have no problem understanding gratitude, love and fair-play, it comes easily and naturally to them when they are shown the same. Teaching gratitude and its many benefits to our youth will drastically alter the course we are currently on and have been on for far too long. This simple, yet effective, step that needs to be taken will do more for our state of affairs than all of the politicians in Washington can do or have done in the last 100 years combined. It's a simple relationship, built by teaching gratitude for the freedoms one has, thanks to patriots, put into practice by merely sending a thank you letter from student to a patriot and vice-versa has brought more light, love, and understanding than every other means used to try uplifting the spirit and morale of both patriot and student. For the last twelve years, we have been creating opportunities for students to do this. We have combined our products, which have had heart and soul poured into them throughout their creation, and watched this process change peoples' lives. At its core, this is not about anything more than creating an opportunity to return to a once great time that is all but lost due to the many things greed and envy have stomped, choked, and violently snuffed out. Welcome to Operation Gratitude, where finding the best things about our past and magnifying those experiences is a way of life!
