Gratitude—the sort of gratitude that acknowledges our dependence and need for each other—is more important than ever this year. This year has been all about the autonomy and freedom of the individual, juxtaposed with the might and supposed benevolence of an all-powerful state.

Our government talks long and often about what it intends to do for us—about how it intends to cure our social, political, and economic ills. We’re promised the perfect health care, forgiveness of all student loan debt, an avalanche of new and beautiful jobs.

Meanwhile, we are urged to pursue our dreams, to forge our own paths, to separate ourselves from the entangling and messy relationships that may “hold us back” from becoming our most fulfilled and empowered selves.

In practice, these two tendencies toward statism and individualism tempt us away from community. Rather than relying on each other, we rely on the state; rather than forging strong and lasting relationships in community, we become solipsistic and self-seeking individuals. As a result, private associations falter. The fabric of community and family that holds this country together begins to fray.