A Dearth of Gratitude In Golf’s Sea Of Riches

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA | We can debate the moral implications of Golf Saudi for months and probably should. Just as the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing are sparking some impassioned discussions because of the million or so Uighurs in Chinese concentration camps, golf leaders, players and fans need to reflect on the moral implications of partnering with a nation that still has public beheadings and considers homosexuality a death-penalty offense.

But that can wait for another time. Today, I would like to ruminate on the dwindling virtue of gratitude.

When was the last time you pulled into the parking lot of your local golf club and thought about your place on the planet or in the pantheon of human history? When was the last time you thanked the person who poured your coffee and meant it, not in a polite, perfunctory way, but with a genuine heartfelt gratitude?

On the flip side, have you been short-tempered with a convenience store employee in the last year or so? Have you snapped at someone you don’t know, maybe with language you...