Editor's Guide 11-20-01:
That's Gratitude for You

Summary: This week our members in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is a good time to think about when it is appropriate to be grateful -- and when it's not.
Author: Nan Hawthorne, Editor eSight’s NetWork News
“False charity constrains the fearful and subdued to extend their trembling hands. True generosity is in striving so that those hands -- whether of individuals or of entire peoples -- need be extended less and less in supplication.” - Paulo Friere, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” When I was 13, I thanked my French teacher, Wilma Lewis, for the “A” she gave me on my report card. She rebuked me, saying “Never thank someone for giving you something you earned.” This week people in the United States observe the annual holiday of Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is a good time to stop and think whether gratitude is always appropriate. Pity, charity and compassion often come with a price tag. Whether we asked for help or not, we are expected to give thanks. As people with disabilities, we are sometimes accused of feeling “entitled” to what is given. But do those who give also not feel entitled to our meek gratitude? We want to work. The very existence of eSight Careers Network shows that, instead of holding out our hands in supplication, we are reaching out for the tools of work. As the saying goes, “We're not asking for a handout, just a hand.” In our case, we aren't even asking for a “hand” -- just a chance to step in and work alongside others whose birthright seems to be an equal chance to fail or succeed. As I hear others complain about those who don't want to work and display a lack of motivation, I shake my head thinking of all who want to work but are denied the chance by sheer ignorance. I am veering from my usual essay this week to address a thread that may not directly appear in this week's new content offerings on eSight Careers Network. That thread does, however, appear throughout the entire eSight community's fabric. As we express our thanks this week or any day, let us remember that thanks is not appropriate when the gift is earned. And let us continue to demand that we be given what we have as a right: to earn a living, to earn self respect, to earn respect from others, and to earn the thanks of others to whom we give. Happy Thanksgiving!

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