Did you know that countries all over the world have Black Friday sales events in late November, despite not celebrating Thanksgiving?

It's something I first discovered while I was in Mongolia on a brief business trip. During my tour around the city, I noticed that the driver had an advertisement for Black Friday sales. Unfortunately, I don't remember what deals the people of Ulaanbaatar could expect that 2014 Christmas holiday season, but it stuck out to me.

Why would the people of Mongolia have Black Friday sales anyway? Especially since Christians make up only 2.2% of the population, meaning that Christmas isn't an influential holiday. And why has this "holiday," which is the epitome of American consumerism, spread to other countries?

With Thanksgiving Day coming up fast, it is vital to recognize that a rule of our flawed human nature is this: When human luxury and comfort increase, gratitude is thrown out the window.

Living in the United States in the 21st century means living in the wealthiest nation, and the most sumptuous time period in history. We have what those living 100 years ago, much less 1,000 years ago, could not have conceived of: air conditioning, roadways, cars, jets, television, Netflix, fast food, medical care, theme parks, the internet, the cloud, iPhones and the rest. All these things, we have in overabundance.

And while many of our modern niceties are enjoyable, they have also paved the way for gluttony, greed and vice to flourish. How else do you explain Las Vegas?

Mega-country star Dolly Parton has done it all. She's written over 3,000 songs, won every kind of award imaginable in numerous genres besides singing and songwriting, including television, movies, Broadway and just about anything else you can think of.

Her business and creative skills have amassed an empire worth an estimated half-billion dollars. But Dolly has a humanitarian heart at least as big as her fortune. Her Imagination Library project has already gifted over 147 million books to children around the world.