Happy Thanksgiving.
We are living in a time that requires us to question many of the assumptions under which our current society operates. This is a time for questioning normal. We have an opportunity to create new ways of doing things. Here is an idea for a happy and progressive Thanksgiving Day.
There are many different beliefs about who or what to thank on Thanksgiving. And that at least raises doubts as to how true any of them can be. With so many widely held views, it is easy to see that none has the right to say that their belief is the only true belief.
But in spite of our differences when it comes to deities, there is one thing we all have in common. There are people in our lives who fed us, clothed us, helped us grow, did the best they knew how with us, without whom we would not be alive today. There are many others who have helped us survive tragedies, achieve successes, and plain old be happy.
The point of all this, is this. By all means thank the deity of your choice, but if this is truly a day for giving thanks, don't forget to thank the ones whose existence is not in question.
When I was a child, at meal time, we bowed our heads and thanked God for the food we were about to eat. It was a fairly rigorous ritual with hands clasped tightly together and eyes squeezed shut. Ad libbing was discouraged with pain, either a hard pinch or a knuckle to the noggin. "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food. Amen."
It didn't dawn on me until well into adult-hood that something really big was missing from that ritual. There was no ritual for thanking Mom who cooked the food or Dad who worked to buy it. (OK, so it was a long time ago) Oh, we would say "please" and "thank you", under threat of above mentioned punishment. But we never turned to our Mother and said in unison, "Thank you Mom for cooking this meal for us." Never did we turn to our Father and say, "Thank you for working so hard today." I think that's a shame.
I don't blame my parents. They learned from someone else. It could easily be said that we were ungrateful children who should have figured that out on our own. Perhaps it was because the ritual removed the spontaneity of expression. Probably some of both and a few other things. Nothing comes of just one thing.
But this is supposed to be a HAPPY thanksgiving diary. So here goes.
I propose a progressive (happy) thanksgiving that includes (in order of difficulty):
- REAL expressions of gratitude to those who have made our lives. Please say thank you to the people in your life that have helped you. Write them a note, send them a thank you card, call them up. If you are lucky enough to be face to face with them, take them aside and really thank them. Look them in the eye and say "Thank you." We can all be grateful to some unseeable being, but we cannot deny that without a support system of real people who we can see and hug, we would not be here today. Don't just be grateful for them. Be grateful TO them.
- REAL thanks to those in Congress who did right by progressives in recent legislation. I'll bet they could use some thanks. This system they are trying to mend is rigged. All angry is just as bad as all complacent. Right? Contact them however you choose and tell them you appreciate them raising their voice for you. And send a word of thanks to our President. We don't always agree with every move he makes. Some things look so wrong to us sitting in the cheering section. But we all knew this change wasn't going to be easy. It is obvious he is working very hard. Sometimes it looks like we expected him to change it all himself. I don't think we can even imagine the pressure. If we can criticize, we can also take the time to be grateful for a herculean effort against a bunch of very powerful interests.
- And lastly, I propose that you take all that food you bought for Thanksgiving Day and donate it to the nearest soup kitchen. Then go out and buy a dollar bag of rice and some veggies and take one day to see how so many other people in the world eat. I'm serious. I dare you. You could learn a whole new level of gratitude for what you have.
Yes, I know, there are traditions and promises to keep. I don't mean to judge or preach. I know many of you already know what it is like to not have enough food. I know many are giving already. Thank you so much for that.
But please, whether you feel lucky or believe you are blessed, show some real gratitude with your actions. There are people out there that need some of your luck or some of your blessings. Not just the spare change, but something inconvenient, something that makes you go out of your way or makes you wait just a little longer for that thing you gotta have. You can't truly give without losing something. The stark disparity in society at the moment demands that those who can must do more than just discard some left-overs in the poor's direction. (Yes, you can blame the greedy rich, but the goal is not to be like them, right?) The ultimate ingratitude on Thanksgiving Day is saying a few nice words, pigging out, and tossing the poor the scraps.
In my humble opinion,
Progressive THANKS is GIVING!
Please have a happy and safe Thanks Giving Day.