After a rough election season, we must embrace gratitude, appreciation and thanks

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and many are getting ready to enjoy time with family and friends as the holiday season officially kicks off. Yet in our fast-paced, technology-centric digital world, taking the time to say “thank you” seems to be a lost art. Indeed, a simple gesture of appreciation can break down barriers, heal wounds and bring harmony to relationships.

When people are asked why they leave their jobs, they often cite more money, better opportunities and more flexibility as reasons for making such the change. But once such tangible measures are swept aside, the key issue that people cite is that they feel undervalued and underappreciated. And a simple expression of thanks can go a long way in resolving such feelings.

Saying thank you to a colleague or anyone we interact with has become a foreign concept in society. To express gratitude may seem like a weakness. Some may even perceive it to be placing others above themselves, effectively positioning ourselves in an inferior role.

Nonsense.

Each of us craves to be recognized and acknowledged for our hard work and positive outcomes. When we do not take the time to thank the people around us for their words, actions and efforts, we are inadvertently devaluing what they have done for us, and their contributions in general.

This is particularly true in politics.

Imagine Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, thanking President Biden for his four years of service as commander in chief. Such a gesture of kindness, as Biden prepares to depart, would send shock waves across the nation’s political landscape. It could also cost him his Speakership in today’s toxic and divisive political environment.

Yet it could also break down barriers that exist in Congress, putting a toe in the door of compromise that may have long-term benefits for our nation.

The problem is that any words offered, or actions taken, by one party are designed to preserve their power and weaken their opposition. This was most apparent during the recent election, with negative ads filling the air waves. This by design creates a hostile environment in Congress, ensuring that bipartisan constructive legislation cannot be supported.

As each party works toward their own self-serving objectives, the schism between them continues to grow. And as the number of centrist elected officials dwindles, with Mitt Romney voluntarily ending his career, both Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown losing re-election to the Senate, and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan unable to get elected, these legislators are increasingly being replaced by more extreme politicians. This means that people are left with choices that ultimately push the nation into “all or nothing” elections and policy debates.

It does not have to be this way.

Bringing down walls may begin with one person unexpectedly thanking one of his colleagues across the aisle for a job well done, or a perspective that they can both agree on. When policies are carved out not based on what is good, but rather by what the opposition does not want, or by political power grabs by ambitious and self-serving politicians, effective legislation becomes impossible.

This is best illustrated by the bipartisan immigration bill that got quashed in the House when Donald Trump did not want to offer the Biden administration a win on an issue that he used as a tool in his successful presidential campaign. Given that immigration was an important issue with voters, the inability of Biden to address the issue, no matter what the reason, weighed heavily on Vice President Harris’s election bid.

It is always easy to find fault with others, and much more difficult to look for what is good. This is not only true in our personal and professional lives, but in the chambers of Congress. Every expression of gratitude and appreciation is like a seed planted that has the potential to spawn good.

Now that Election Day is behind us, and Trump will be our new president, what our country needs more than anything are simple expressions of gratitude, appreciation and thanks. Let’s begin with thanking both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for their willingness to serve and help the country be better for all, independent of who you voted for and your beliefs.

This attitude should permeate Congress, as well as our workplaces, our communities and our families. Every day can be celebrated as a day of thanks. There is no better way to launch such a campaign than on Thanksgiving.

Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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