The undeniably wise twentieth century French political philosopher Bertrand de Jouvenel once unironically noted that "the wise man knows himself for debtor." Gratitude should be the first response of the human person, not complaint, indignation, or some false sense of our radical independence or autonomy from all limits or restraints.
We are not gods. We are created to live virtuously, in loving relation to all around us. All of us—rich or poor, philosopher or day laborer, student or teacher, statesman or citizen, cleric or layman, parents or children—have multiple reasons to be grateful for the gifts of life, love, family, and wisdom. We also have reason to be grateful for being fortunate enough to live in a free country where the unimpeded pursuit of truth, virtue, and authentic happiness is still possible.
May you, the future generation, make sure that our freedoms are not sacrificed on the altars of political correctness and a hostility to the true moral foundations of our great Republic. We should be grateful. But we also must be bearers of the serious responsibility to protect our civilized inheritance from succumbing to facile self-indulgence, thoughtless relativism, and the ideologically inspired repudiation of "the best that has been thought and said." Fortunately, you, the newest graduates of Trivium, have an added reason to be grateful to teachers, parents and, above all, to the Providence of God: you have been gifted with the beginnings (and a great deal of the substance) of a classical and Christian education. That is a rare gift, indeed.
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