Thanksgiving

A little late here, but I wanted to talk just briefly about Thanksgiving Day. I am glad that our Canadian friends celebrate Thanksgiving, even if it's on a different date. While the circumstances behind the holiday are myth-prone and clouded, and we're now told how horrible an effect that Europeans had on the new world. I'm not going to try to defend what happened, but at the same time, the natives (and even they truly were no more native than I am. Their ancestors migrated from China, across the land bridge that used to connect North America to Russia) were not entirely peaceful and prosperous. They warred with each other, suffered from disease, and were, by some reports, in decline as a civilization. But forget all that. What I'm really talking about is the idea of setting a day aside to reflect on all that we really have to be thankful for. We live with more freedom and prosperity than many other countries, even in these days of crisis. We have an issue of too many people wanting in, as opposed to the throngs of refugees in many countries. We have just elected someone from an middle class family of mixed race in a peaceful if passionate election. We can rest assured that once in office, Mister Obama will not seek to change the law to lengthen his term of office.

While many families are in the midst of crisis unseen in this country in years, somehow people still find a way to give what they can for those in more desperate need, and the spirit of optimism and dignity is as evident across the land as ever. We have problems, we know, but we also have great blessings, and we know that. The day after Thanksgiving, I spoke with a couple in the laundromat who lived in a two-room tent, but were washing work-clothes and enjoying each other's company. I'm not trying to say we don't have problems. Not by a long shot. But this country has never failed to rise to challenges, and we always end up better off in the long run. And the fact is that we still have lots to be thankful for. And I might just add that I hate hearing people call Thanksgiving "Turkey Day". That turns the holiday into nothing more than just another excuse to take a long weekend, eat too much, drink too much, and fall asleep in front of the television. That's like changing Christmas to "Present Day".


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Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
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