The World and Everything in It: November 22, 2023

PREROLL: The World and Everything in It is made possible by listeners like me. I'm Melissa, and I'm from Nashville, Tennessee. But I'm listening today from Agra, India where I'm touring the Taj Mahal. I know you'll enjoy today's program.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning! President Biden met with China’s President Xi last week. Does this change anything about the relationship between the U.S. and China?

BIDEN: We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.

NICK EICHER, HOST: That’s ahead on Washington Wednesday. Also, World Tour. Plus, teaching French kids what American Thanksgiving is all about. And WORLD commentator Janie B. Cheaney on knowing from whom all blessings flow.

REICHARD: It’s Wednesday, November 22nd. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

REICHARD: It’s time for the news. Here’s Kent Covington

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Hostage deal update » Israel’s Cabinet has approved a temporary cease-fire with Hamas in a deal to free 50 of the more than 200 hostages the terror group is still holding.

The Israeli government said the first hostages to be released would be women and children.

Americans are among the captives, and the U.S. government had signaled optimism about a deal for days, but State Dept. spokesman Matthew Miller also cautioned,

MILLER: Implementation and execution of an agreement requires the cooperation of Hamas, a terrorist organization. So it’s why we’re always hesitant to say too much about what will happen before it has happened.

The 50 captives will be released over a four-day period. And the Israeli government said it would extend the lull by an additional day for every 10 hostages released by Hamas.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking Hebrew]

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that regardless of how long the cease-fire lasts, the pause will be temporary.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking Hebrew]

He said “We will continue the war until we achieve all of our goals: to destroy Hamas.”

North Korea satellite » North Korea has announced that it successfully launched a spy satellite into orbit defying a ban from the United Nations and Western countries. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The launch has the United States and its allies concerned, because it involved technologies related to North Korea's long-range ballistic missile program. And Western intelligence agencies believe Russia may have helped Pyongyang after two failed launch attempts earlier in the year.

The satellite’s trajectory carved a path over Japan, leading to a missile warning in Okinawa with officials briefly urging residents to take shelter.

The U.S. and South Korea have already increased military exercises and deployments in response to North Korea's missile testing.

And in response to the satellite launch, South Korea may suspend a 2018 agreement with the North that was aimed at tamping down tensions on the Korean peninsula.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

SOUND: [Ukraine holiday activity]

Zelenskyy Day of Dignity and Freedom » Bells chimed in Ukraine’s capital city as leaders marked a holiday called the Day of Dignity and Freedom.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a ceremony marking 10 years since a pro-European protest movement -- in which about 100 civilians died in violent clashes with security forces.

The uprising ultimately led to the ouster of Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Zelenskyy released a video address to the nation calling it “A victory for courage.” And he said it’s a day to remember “when our people are defending themselves and Europe right now.”

Ohio Walmart shooting » Four people are recovering from injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart near Dayton, Ohio.

Acting Beavercreek Police Chief Chad Lindsey:

LINDSEY: Beaver Creek police heard gunshots and advanced toward the threat, located the shooter, who was on the ground with a self inflicted gunshot wound at 8:42pm.

That self-inflicted wound was fatal.

Authorities said the suspect was a 20-year-old male. Police are investigating the shooting.

Senate Panel Investigates Airlines » A group of lawmakers in the Senate is scrutinizing airlines over baggage fees and other add-on charges like those for choosing seats or changing tickets. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to the CEO's of American, Delta, United, Spirit and Frontier Airlines asking how much they collect from each fee and the reasons for them.

Several years ago, airline executives convinced lawmakers to shelve an effort to mandate “reasonable and proportional” baggage and change fees. But from 2018 to 2022, baggage fee revenues from major airlines ballooned from just under $5 billion dollars to nearly $7 billion.

And that has lawmakers once again questioning whether passengers are getting taken for a ride along with their flight.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

SOUND: [Music]

White House tree » A horse and carriage pulled up in front of the White House on Tuesday hauling an 18-foot-tall Native True fir Christmas tree.

Children from military families joined first lady Jill Biden for photos with this year’s official White House tree.

The first lady told reporters:

JILL BIDEN: The tree, which is magnificent, is from the Cline Church Nursery. And some of the kids said that they had never seen a tree so big.

The tree, grown in North Carolina, will stand floor-to-ceiling in the Blue Room.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: What to expect from last week’s U.S.-China Summit on Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Wednesday the 22nd of November, 2023.

Thank you for listening to WORLD Radio. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

First up on The World and Everything in It: leaders in Beijing are signaling they want to patch up their rocky relationship with Washington. But do they really?

In recent years, China has been rapidly building up its military with an eye toward rivaling the might of the U.S. Armed Forces while stealing sensitive information from the U.S. government and intellectual property from American businesses at an alarming rate.

REICHARD: And the relationship between the world’s two top powers has descended into what some have called a new Cold War.

But last week, President Biden met face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a conference in California.

BIDEN: We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict and we also have to manage it responsibly, that competition.

EICHER: In response, President Xi said the world is big enough for both the U.S. and China to succeed.

He even offered panda bears as what he called envoys of friendship.

But how much stock should we put in China’s stated goal to tamp down tensions and smooth things over with the U.S.?

REICHARD: It’s Washington Wednesday, and joining us now is Dean Cheng. He’s an expert on China and previously studied China's defense-industrial complex for the U.S. government. He’s currently senior adviser to the China program at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Dean, good morning!

DEAN CHENG, GUEST: Good morning.

REICHARD: President Biden says he thinks he made real progress in his meeting with Xi Jinping. What do you think he meant about that?

CHENG: I think he meant that there's going to be panda bears at U.S. zoos. Frankly, beyond that, it's not at all clear what exactly has been achieved. One of the things that people have noted is that the Chinese have agreed to restart military-to-military contact. One, it's notable that the Chinese were the ones who also shut down military-to-military contacts. And two, those same contacts really do not serve the purpose that U.S.-Soviet military contacts did during the Cold War. Or as one analyst has observed, when the Chinese hotlines typically stay cold, they don't tend to pick up the phone in the middle of a crisis. So what exactly is supposed to be achieved with these mil-to-mil contacts is unclear.

REICHARD: Is this a charm offensive or something else?

CHENG: I think that since the summit occurred on the sidelines of the APEC summit, this was an opportunity for Beijing to say several things. One, we're open to discussion, even if those discussions lead nowhere. But two, the very oft-quoted, “the world is big enough for both of us,” elevates China to the equivalent of the United States. That really isn’t all that surprising. But again, in the context of APEC, that is a signal to all the other Asian countries: “Understand we're here in Asia, America is across the Pacific. If we're equals, but they're farther away, who do you think you should pay more attention to?”

REICHARD: What are the biggest points of contention and problems with this relationship between the United States and China? You mentioned shutting down points of contact. What else?

CHENG: Well, unfortunately, we only have, I think, about 10 minutes here in this program, otherwise, this is a very, very long list. We have fundamental issues of economics. China's economy is increasingly closed. China engages in intellectual property theft, both through cyber means and other means. China engages in unfair trade practices. China's military is modernizing, which is reasonable for the second largest GDP in the world, but it is using that military to intimidate its neighbors as we see regularly in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines. We see China supporting Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. We see China not doing anything about North Korea's nuclear development program. The list goes on and on.

REICHARD: What do you think is realistically possible then, in terms of actually improving this relationship and not just talking nice for the cameras?

CHENG: Robert Kennedy once said that it was important for the United States to make clear that we are just friends and brave enemies. And I think that sending a clear signal to Beijing that we are prepared to partner with them where our interests overlap and where there will be equitable and fair interactions. But if they are going to try to intimidate our friends and allies, or behave in ways that fundamentally violate the international order, then we will oppose them. We will oppose them economically, we will oppose them diplomatically and if necessary, we will oppose them militarily. I don't know that that message necessarily got through in this particular meeting.

REICHARD: What do you think China and the U.S. need from each other, and do you think they're on track to continue that interdependence? Or are they going to pull apart and create more distance?

CHENG: Clearly the two economies are intertwined, although there are signs that on both sides that they are unwinding the two sides. With the Chinese, they have something called dual circulation, they want to create an internal Chinese market that is walled off and protected, that basically feeds its own supply chains. But they want to participate in the global supply chain. So essentially what they want is the rest of the world stays out of China's supply chain, but China is part of the global supply chain. That's not a particularly equitable approach.

For the U.S., what do we want from China? We want cheap consumer goods. We want them to produce environmentally damaging products in China that they will then export to United States at low prices. Again, is that particularly fair if you're the Chinese, at some point they're probably going to start wondering if even that's a very fair trade.

Both of us want peace. Neither side wants war. I want to emphasize that. But the conditions on that from the Chinese perspective are and therefore you, the U.S., should stop selling arms to Taiwan and to basically leave Asia to China. From our perspective, that means that China doesn't invade Taiwan, and China has refused to guarantee that they won't do that. And we want them to participate in an international order that frowns on things like a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

REICHARD: A couple of more questions. For now, China has a lot of problems with this economy and demographics at home. Can you give us a brief snapshot of the challenges that China is up against right now?

CHENG: So the Chinese economy is slowing down for a variety of reasons. Some of it had to do with COVID and the disruption of China's place in global supply chains. Once you find somebody else to supply you with things, and in the case of China, it was often low-end commodities, China lost market share that it is going to find very hard to regain. Another piece of this is that Xi Jinping and his predecessor Hu Jintao pretty much ended Chinese economic reform. The heyday of Chinese economic liberalization was the 1990s and very early 2000s. What we see instead is a steady accretion of power back to the state. Economic decisions are increasingly centralized, not to the point of a planned economy, but certainly to the point where innovation, private enterprise, things like that, are frowned upon. This is exacerbated by the reality that China's demographics are terrible. It is running out of young people. Now, “running out" is a relative term, we're still talking about 10s of millions of young people joining the workforce every year. But the days of when China had a skilled, educated, cheap workforce are coming to an end. They will still have a significant workforce, it will be educated, it will be literate, but there will be fewer of them. And that price advantage that that gave China is going to decrease. When you throw in rising energy prices around the world, the idea that you would have a production process, that might involve four or five different import-exports of components being added on to a final product, which is where China really sort of helped make money for companies, that is very much endangered. And so whether or not the global supply network that we have become accustomed to over the last 20 plus years will stay in place is very much open to question. China is going to be on the losing, potentially on the losing end of that.

REICHARD: Final question: is there anything missing from the conversation about the U.S. and China that you think needs more attention?

CHENG: Well, one of the things that the administration heralded from out of the summit was cooperation on the environment. President Biden has said repeatedly the single biggest threat is not Hamas, it's not even the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To his mind, the single biggest threat is global climate change. China remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, and it's getting worse. While the rest of the world has been cutting back on coal-fired power plants, China has been expanding its coal-fired power plant construction, which means that we'll be relying on them for 20 or 30 years into the future. This becomes an issue because the question is what have we been willing to offer China for their “cooperation” on climate change? And what does it mean when China says, “okay, yes, we will cooperate with you. Give us 30 years.” And what does that mean in the meantime for us, if we are expected to start shifting away from fossil fuels, etc. now?

REICHARD: Dean Cheng is senior advisor to the China program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Dean, thanks so much!

CHENG: Thank you for having me.

Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

SOUND: [Water taps]

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Zimbabwe cholera emergency — We start today’s World Tour in a densely-populated neighborhood in Zimbabwe’s capital of Harare where residents lined up by a borehole to get clean water.

Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency in Harare on Friday over a deadly cholera outbreak.

Health authorities have reported more than 8,000 suspected cases nationwide since February. The numbers include more than 200 suspected deaths.

Cholera is transmitted through contaminated food or water.

RESIDENT: [Speaking Shona]

This resident says her community doesn’t have clean water and sewage flows freely.

A cholera outbreak in 2008 killed more than 4,000 people.

AUDIO: [Cheering]

Argentina election — Over in Argentina, cheering supporters welcomed the record-making victory of libertarian Javier Milei as the country’s incoming president.

With nearly all of the votes counted, Milei landed nearly 56 percent while center-left Economy Minister Sergio Massa emerged with 44 percent. Milei’s victory marks the highest percentage score of any president-elect since Argentina’s return to democracy four decades ago.

Milei—a freshman lawmaker and economist—criticized what he called the political caste during his campaign and pledged to eliminate several government ministries.

Argentina is facing a crippling economic crisis that has seen inflation surge and poverty rise. Milei also said he plans to introduce the U.S. dollar into the economy and privatize state-owned media outlets and other public companies.

MILEI: [Speaking Spanish]

He says here that his victory ushers in the end of an impoverishing state model and dispels the idea that politicians and their friends can share the spoils of the state.

Milei has also backed conservative values—including supporting pro-life measures and opposing sex education in schools.

He is set to assume office on December 10.

SOUND: [Courtroom]

Bangladesh ruling — In Bangladesh, the Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that bars the country’s largest Islamist party from partaking in elections.

The initial ruling back in 2013 concluded the Jamaat-e-Islami party conflicted with the secular constitution in the Muslim-majority country.

LAWYER: [Speaking Bengali]

The opposing lawyer says here that the party would face new charges of contempt of court if it holds any rallies.

The party is also embroiled in tribunal proceedings over abuses that occurred during Bangladesh’s independence war from Pakistan in 1971.

Four top party leaders have received death sentences or life imprisonment.

Bangladesh is set to hold its next national elections in January.

AUDIO: [Official countdown]

Paris lights — We close with thousands of revelers counting down at the Paris Champs-Elysees Avenue.

Organizers turned on the lights during the official lighting ceremony that marks the start of the Christmas season in the French capital.

The annual ceremony drew a crowd of tourists and spectators—including Alfredo, a student in Paris.

ALFREDO: I really liked the music, like live music. It was perfect when the countdown like 'five, four three.' I really loved it. It was really beautiful lights.

The lights will stay on until January 7.

That’s it for today’s WORLD Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Maybe a noodle restaurant is a good choice if you’re hoping to save a buck, but Noodles and Company in Beloit, Wisconsin, that was the place to encounter a buck.

Yes, this was caught on surveillance video. Too bad there was no sound. But what appeared to be a six-point deer put his head down and blew right through the glass.

He was relatively calm, too, given the pandemonium of the lunchtime rush.

But the buck strolled around like he owned the place, sniffed the air, and went out the back door.

Nobody was harmed, and all in good fun, next day the menu included “Two Buck Mac and Cheese.”

MARY REICHARD, HOST: I guess so people could save some doe?

EICHER: It’s The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, November 22nd.

This is WORLD Radio and we thank you for listening. Good morning! I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

This week on Concurrently: The News Coach Podcast, Kelsey Reed and Jonathan Boes tackle the question: Are parents failing to prepare their kids to flourish in the adult world? Or is the modern world simply not designed for human flourishing? Here’s a short preview:

JONATHAN BOES: Kind of our guiding term here, and what drew me to this whole subject is the term human flourishing. And that's a broad term. And I think to some people, if you're not familiar with it, it might sound kind of clinical, because whenever you refer to people as humans, that can sound kind of clinical. But this is, I think, an important term to unpack. You see it a lot in Christian circles, but even outside of Christian circles. You can add color to this definition as well, Kelsey, but I would define human flourishing broadly as this whole person thriving of people that encompasses spiritual health, emotional health, physical health of both individuals and people living together in community, just kind of an overarching vision of what is good for humans living in the here and now.

KELSEY REED: I have to just say, first off, amen. You're speaking educational speak when you talk about whole person, that we're not talking about just what does it mean for us to do what we're supposed to do? It's not just this utilitarian thought about we're, you know, human bodies that need to get plugged into as cogs into a work grind. We're not just gears and a process of some pragmatic machine. We aren't machines.

EICHER: You can hear the entire episode of Concurrently today wherever you get your podcasts. And find out more at concurrentlypodcast.com.

REICHARD: Coming next on The World and Everything in It: A look at Thanksgiving from Europe.

American holidays are viewed around the world through the lens of movies, such as A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, or even Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. These movies give people from other countries an impression of a holiday focused on strange foods…but leave out the history and point of the holiday.

EICHER: WORLD Europe reporter Jenny Lind Schmitt recently had a chance to share some American Thanksgiving traditions with a group of school children in France. Let’s hear how things went.

SOUND: [Rain]

JENNY LIND SCHMITT, REPORTER: It’s a drizzly Saturday afternoon in Etupes, France. A perfect day to stay inside and talk about Thanksgiving.

SOUND: [Kids playing games]

30 kids between 6 and 11 years old trickle into the Eglise Action Biblique evangelical church. In the main hall, chairs are pushed out of the way and middle-school aged helpers are leading games and getting the newcomers involved.

This is Bulles de Vie, a club where kids play games, do fun activities, and learn about Jesus. This year the theme is Echappees Bulles. It’s a spin on a popular current TV show that takes viewers to different countries and cultures. Fanny Monnier leads the team that organizes the once-a-month gatherings.

FANNY: Cette année on a demande des personnes de l'église de venir chaque fois qqun different présenter leur pays, pour faire découvrir aux enfants, pour faire des jeux, pour manger un goûter en rapport avec pays, pour decouvrir d’autre chose que ce qu’on puisse entendre sur ces pays, un peu cliché.

[TRANSLATION: This year we’ve asked people in the church who come from abroad to introduce their country to the kids, teach them a typical game, to eat something typical from their country. The idea is to help kids discover something beyond the stereotypes we hear about other countries.]

The goal is for kids from the church to invite unchurched friends to come along. Many kids in France have never even been inside a church, much less have heard about Jesus. The start of the day involves a Bible story and introduction to Him. Then it’s time for the show.

AUDIO: [Fanny talking, applause]

The front of the church is staged to look like a television set.

AUDIO: [Laughing]

Fanny plays the show’s host, and helpers hold up signs telling the “studio audience” when to laugh and applaud and be silent.

SOUND: [Applause, theme music]

Then it’s time to discover this month’s destination. Last month, a woman presented her home country of Italy.

And this month…well, it’s me!

JENNY LIND SCHMITT: Moi Je m’appelle Jenny. Je viens des Etats Unis.

And since it’s November, Fanny asked me to tell the kids about Thanksgiving.

SCHMITT: Est ce qu’il y a qq’un qui a déjà entendu de Thanksgiving?

Most Europeans know vaguely about Thanksgiving. They’ve seen scenes of huge turkeys and family gatherings in TV shows and films, but they don’t really know what it’s all about, and why we’re supposed to be thankful.

To tell the story of the first Thanksgiving, some of the helpers dress up as the Pilgrims, or “pelerins” in French, with white neckerchiefs and bonnets. The other helpers put feathers in headbands to represent “les indiens”—the Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe.

SCHMITT: Un groupe d' hommes et de femmes venus d’Angleterre sont embarqués dans un navire nommé The Mayflower. On les appelait les pelerins…Pilgrims.

KIDS: Hello!

They act out the story as it's told, from leaving England in search of religious freedom, seasickness on the Mayflower,

AUDIO: [Kids making vomiting sounds]

to half of the Pilgrims dying of cold and starvation the first winter.

AUDIO: [Kids making whooping sounds]

At the darkest hour, the group dressed as Native Americans bring food sent by Chief Massasoit, and Squanto shows the Pilgrims how to grow crops in the new land. And at last, the Pilgrims invite the tribe to feast with them in thanks to God for His provision.

AUDIO: Merci pour ma famille et mon lapin.

To help the kids learn thankfulness in their own context, Fanny has prepared cut out paper leaves. The kids write on them what they are thankful for.

AUDIO: Que je vais aller dormir chez Mamie.

One girl is thankful for her family and her rabbit. Another is thankful she gets to spend the night at Grandma’s house.

AUDIO: Moi je vais écrire parce qu’il n’y pas de guerre chez nous.

Matthieu writes that he is thankful that there isn’t a war here. Another boy is thankful that he might get a GoPro for Christmas.

The kids stick the leaves onto bare branches set up at the back of the room to make a colorful Thankfulness Tree.

AUDIO: [Kid counting in French, yelling]

After a quick break for le Football Americain, the kids come back inside. They are excited to try American treats! The chocolate chip cookies are a big hit. But when I pass with the tray of trial-sized bites of pumpkin pie, most of them eye it suspiciously. They shake their heads no.

SCHMITT: Qui c’est qui est courageux? Pas moi. 

For the French, pumpkin definitely belongs to the category of savory dishes. The idea of adding sugar and cinnamon to it makes people recoil in disgust.

AUDIO: [Sound of snack time]

But a few brave souls are up for the challenge. They take a bite—and their eyes grow wide.

AUDIO: c’est super bon! J’aime beaucoup moi. Toi, t’as gouté? J’aime bien. Oui, c’est super bon. 

Almost all who try the pumpkin pie agree that it’s good. Different, but good.

Over by the Thankfulness Tree, I find two of the helpers. They’re both 12. Old enough to have seen the movies with the turkeys and the football games. But now that they know a little more about the story of Thanksgiving, and the One we’re saying ‘thank you’ to, I ask what they will remember.

BOY 1: Thanksgiving est une fête très ancienne pour dire merci à Dieu parce qu'il a pris soin des pèlerins….qui viennent de…France? Pèlerins anglais. Qu'il les a gardés pendant leur voyage. Et depuis pour se rappeler ce que Dieu a fait, on on le remercie.

[TRANSLATION: Thanksgiving is a very old holiday to say thank you to God because he took care of the pilgrims, who came from France? English Pilgrims. Because He kept them safe on their voyage. And since then to remember what God did, we thank him.]

BOY 2: Je retiens que c'est Dieu qui a gardé les matelots anglais pour aller en Amérique dans leur voyage. Et que les Indiens les ont aidés. Et du coup pour le remercier, ils le fêtent tous les ans.

[TRANSLATION: I’ll remember that it was God who kept the English safe when they went to America. And the Indians helped them. And so, to thank Him, they celebrate this every year.]

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jenny Lind Schmitt in Etupes, France.

Happy Thanksgiving!

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, November 22nd. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Up next: thankfulness. WORLD commentator Janie B. Cheaney says Christians should especially cherish knowing whom to thank.

JANIE B. CHEANEY, COMMENTATOR: Sometimes in this crazy modern life we come across videos on social media that make us wonder if our legs are being pulled. Is this satire, or do the speakers mean what they say? That was my thought upon watching a complaint posted on Twitter—sorry, X—by a self-identified Social Justice Warrior. The SJW was retweeting—or whatever you call it now—a video from a young lady ruminating on the vanity of life in a style worthy of Ecclesiastes.

The girl’s beef is that people shouldn’t be expected to work for their bread. “Like, we never ask to be born, but we’re obligated to do labor until we die. Huh?” The whole story, according to her, is that we have to work to afford houses we’re never at because we’re working, and vehicles we must have in order to get to work, and taxes we must work in order to pay, and food we must work in order to buy, and, well, you get the point. Her conclusion is, “Like, somebody tell me that this is fair. Like, is it lazy to just want to enjoy life? Like, why do we have to work? Why?” After a pregnant pause, she puts a hand to her forehead and sighs, “I’m stressed.”

Three possibilities: It’s a joke, or this girl works 12-hour days in a shoelace factory straight out of Dickens, or she’s really wondering why she just can’t have stuff. As someone whose mother had to practically push her out of the house to go apply for a summer job, I can sympathize with the foot-dragging. But I never doubted why. And afterwards I could look back and be grateful for what my summer jobs gave me: not just a paycheck, but a wider experience of the world, and new acquaintances, and even a few skills to take to the next job.

Gratitude is the point, and I suspect this girl’s root problem is a lack of it. Not to be too judgey, but that’s the root problem of much dissatisfaction with life. It’s not that we should fall to our knees with thankfulness when the car needs a new transmission, or we get slapped with a penalty for late-filing our taxes, or a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal disease. But an undercurrent of gratitude for life itself—its joys, its challenges, its welcome and unwelcome surprises—helps us see possibilities more than futility. Especially when we can see beyond circumstances to the One who created them, and us.

My husband’s dementia is advanced to where he can’t make logical sentences out of free-floating words. But he still says our morning prayer over breakfast. It always begins, “Thank you, Lord” before wandering off into abstractions. When he remarks, in his own way, on the lack of cohesion, I remind him, “You can’t go wrong saying Thank You.” Especially when you know Whom to thank.

I’m Janie B. Cheaney.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: Argentina has elected a libertarian economist president. He’s a colorful character who has said he styles his hair with Adam Smith’s invisible hand. When you see a picture, it’ll make more sense.

His name is Javier Milei and we will introduce you to him. And, Thanksgiving reflections from a few of us who bring you the program each day. That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio. WORLD’s mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says: “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” —Ephesians 5:4

Go now in grace and peace.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.