A Word of Gratitude

The recent news about Charlie Hebdo, ISIS and the Khalifat, some client driven considerations (one of my clients who is a Nigerian national was complaining about the fact that his Nigerian passport poses extreme limitations in his ability to attend business meetings abroad, as he needs to apply for a visa, for almost any country on the UN list where he needs to pursue his business, well in advance, and is therefore considering to invest almost 700.000 USD to acquire the citizenship of a country with a very flexible passport) all the way to the latest news about Raif Badawi, caused me to sit back for a moment and reflect about my own situation as a citizen of this country and about how truly thankful and appreciative I should be for some of the -not so given and self-understood- attributes that come with my citizenship, such as the facts that: (a) I live in a country where - no matter how corrupt its political staff and how dismantled the government apparatus - I have no limitation in openly criticizing the situation, (b) I hold a passport that poses no limitations whatsoever to travel around the world without needing a visa and having to submit to the cumbersome and sometimes humiliating treatment in the process of applying for one , that (c) I am able to create and maintain a blog, where I can freely express my religious, political or other opinions without any fear of being sentenced to one thousand lashes because I dare to invite openly to a religious debate on my website, and that (d) I live in a country where everything is available in abundance and I don't have to stand in line for a meal, all these things beg for a moment of silence and appreciation. While the speed of my life takes all these things for granted -thus reducing my appreciation for having them- there is a large number of people out there who still need to make sacrifices and assume heavy personal risks to get to the same result. In a moment like this one, I am very humbled and all I can think of saying is ... thank you...