Thanksgiving 2007

By Henry J. Stern
November 21st, 2007

We wish our readers a Happy Thanksgiving.  Most of you will leave your offices early Wednesday afternoon if you have come in at all.  On the subway this morning, we observed the effects of holiday creep (fewer passengers, more standing room).  Friday the train will be half empty.  Monday, it will be packed, as usual.. 

Historically, Thanksgiving is a day to express gratitude for the blessings we receive from God, a figure who, despite some carping, remains in the Declaration of Independence, although not in the Constitution.  For ourselves, on a related theological issue, we would keep "intelligent design" out of the classroom, as a public school is not a madrassa.  On the other hand, we see no harm in references to the Almighty on coins and bills, whoever S/He may turn out to be.
 
(Some of) our forefathers were mistreated by other Christians in Great Britain and eventually came to America to practice their religious beliefs, which to a few of them included burning, hanging and drowning alleged witches.  Others were mistreated by the Czar or the Nazis and came here to save their lives and create ours.  Belief in God played an important role in our struggle for independence, and the deism of Jefferson and others does not alter their support for freedom of religion, or irreligion.  We should respect religious beliefs as long as they are not hostile to others, whether we share them personally or not..
 
Sadly, today, an Abrahamic religion has been twisted by some adherents into violent hostility towards nonbelievers.  Totalitarian states, posing as theocracies, threaten war and mass destruction.  They are not true theocracies, because if God actually ruled them, S/He would most likely be more benevolent than the monsters who would kill people or compel them to submit and pay tribute.  It is a fact that most of the major mass murderers of the last century, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, and Saddam Hussein, were secular tyrants.  A leader who believes he is divine can scarcely recognize a higher Power, except as a method to manipulate the masses..
 
The Thanksgiving holiday reminds us of several park rules: 26-G: Every day we live is a gift of God (for which we should be grateful), 19: Be kind to man and beast (and hope that they will be kind to you), and 8-F: Do not bite the hand that feeds you (or anyone else's hand, for that matter).  Unfortunately many of us too often obsess not over what we have but over what we lack, whether possessions or tranquility.  We tend to be insufficiently grateful for the blessings we enjoy, particularly the freedom and plenty we take for granted in America.
 
The Wall Street Journal has two eloquent editorials on that subject, which they have run every year since 1961.  Unfortunately they are unavailable unless you are a subscriber.  "The Desolate Wilderness" describes the Pilgrims' departure from Holland in 1620. "And the Fair Land" is a description of America then and now, appearing on p. A18 of today's paper.  We understand the Journal's keeping its business news proprietary, but we would ask Mr. Murdoch, the new owner of Dow Jones, to make inspirational editorials of this nature more accessible to the general public. 
 
Many cultures have fall festivals which celebrate the harvest.  In Canada, where the weather turns cold sooner, Thanksgiving is observed on the second Monday in October.  In America, Thanksgiving is observed as a family holiday, centering on a feast.   It is one day in the year when people are particularly anxious to be with others.  It is a day to invite relatives and friends to share homes and dinners.  On Thanksgiving relatively few people desire to be alone.  If you know someone who is involuntarily alone, invite him/her in. 

We wish all of you the happiest of holidays, with long life and good health for you, your families and your friends.  We wish that people who(m?) we do not or barely know have the same good will toward us that we have toward them. 

The phrase "God bless us, every one" is the conclusion of Charles Dickens' story, A Christmas Carol, but the same sentiment applies to Thanksgiving, and probably should be applied year-round.  My parents used to say, on the second Sunday in May, that "Every day should be Mother's Day."

The point of holidays (formerly Holy Days) is that they are special, red letter days on the calendar and in our lives.  You can't eat turkey every night, but you can always give thanks for the blessings you have received. Thanksgiving is both a public and a private occasion for expressions of gratitude and friendship.

Enjoy the holiday and the weekend.

(Some parts of this article were adapted from my Thanksgiving greetings in 2005 Thou Thou shalt not plagiarize, even from thyself.)

#426 11.21.07  804wds

P.S. A reader has just suggested, by e-mail, that it would be timely for us to remind you of Rule 35, a rule that comes from Senator Robert F. Wagner (1877-1953). Senator Wagner passed the rule along to his son, Mayor Robert F. Wagner (1910-1991), who in turn gave it to his son, Deputy Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (1944-1993), who shared it with me.

Senator Wagner's rule is: "Gratitude is for favors yet to be received."

In that spirit, we thank you for participating in our annual fundraiser November 29.

The particulars of the event are attached to this message.

SQ

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