In ten days, it will be
Thanksgiving in the U.S. This is the quintessential American family holiday. It
has been so established that Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” still
features prominently in the nation’s psyche.
And that holiday unleashes
the proverbial “holiday season” that includes a variety of sacred days to a
handful of religions plus cultural celebrations, all trying to elicit unity and
peace and goodwill. Celebrations may include St. Nicholas’ Day, St. Lucia’s
Day, the winter solstice, Christmas, St. Stephen’s Day, Festivus, Hogswatch, Pancha
Ganapati, Saturnalia, Soyal, Hanukkah, Yule, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s…
Sadly, this year there is additional
political strife that threatens to take over our lives in their entirety.
Perhaps you may want to
consider traveling to any of the states that have approved recreational
marijuana, and call any pipe a ceremonial one, share some weed and make peace.
Pick
a state: Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, or the District of Columbia. Phish background music optional.
(My apologies to Native
Americans for the cultural appropriation—
especially as we end the year about
to break yet another treaty.)
I hope that we can remember
that there are still many things we can be grateful and thankful for, and that
we have more incentives to come together than justifications for disunity.
Whether you make a turkey
or tofurky, break bread with a pure heart and remember to be good to one
another. Whether you celebrate with family, friends, or offering your presence
to those who need a helping hand, give the empathy you expect.
I am not asking you to let
go of your principles, but simply that you halt hostilities long enough to
share a meal and build each other up rather than tear each other apart.
Share a basket of delicious
breadsticks!
Fight
the power, if you must, but never lose track of the fact that you can do that
without attacking one another. To paraphrase the Dalai Lama, be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Find the way.
