On giving thanks
Most cultures, from the dim dawn of time until the present, have had some sort of holiday or ritual centered around the giving of thanks.
From the most dogmatic monotheists to more nature-based belief systems, all share a thanksgiving ritual of some sort. In China they call it “Chung Chiu,” in southern India they call it “Pongal,” in Ghana they call it “Homowo,” among the Cherokee, it was called the Festival of Forgiveness.
At its most basic, the thanksgiving ritual is simply a recognition that we depend on forces beyond our control for the basic sustenance of life.
No matter the theological system, we depend on different elements for our food and shelter. Whether the wood in our houses or the corn that feeds the cattle from whence come our Big Macs, we depend on elements beyond our control. It is to these, and for these, that we give thanks.
This modern world, the progress in technology, the distance between the average person and the sources of the food we eat and the clothes we wear, all make it easy to forget how much we still depend on the natural world for our food and shelter. Also, we often forget how much we depend on other people within our communities for the same food and shelter.
The rituals and traditions surrounding the thanksgiving and harvest celebrations remind us of the fact that we do not live our lives in isolation. We depend on God, we depend on Nature, we depend on each other. From the sun and rain that blesses the fields of our farmers, to the overnight workers restocking the shelves at the supermarket, for these we give thanks. For the nurses and doctors who help to keep us alive and healthy in troubled times, for these we give thanks. For the health of our relatives and friends, for these we give thanks.
In these troubled times, it is easy to forget that we still have much to be thankful for. The vagaries of partisan politics, the agitation of selfish demagogues, the often violent division that haunts our communities like a demon in the night; all of these conspire to make us forget the really important things in our lives. They conspire to make us forget that we have much to be thankful for.
Scripture tells us that Jesus, the Lord Christ first gave thanks before feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. We of course ought to follow his example. Of even greater importance, is the need for thanksgiving to our own mental, and indeed physical, health. The act of giving
thanks helps us to maintain the balance within ourselves. It helps us to remember what is important, indeed it helps to relieve the stress of the times we are living in.
Even in these times, there is much to be thankful for. We can give thanks for the garbage workers who keep our streets clean. We can give thanks for the
family around us. We can give thanks for the food on our tables, and the farmers and workers who helped to put it there. We can give thanks for the life and love we share.
As we come into November, the month with a holiday set aside for thanksgiving; take a moment, Dear Reader, to give thanks. Find something to be thankful for. You will find that it helps to bring perspective to an otherwise stressful time.
In this holiday season, let us be polite towards our family and neighbors, and most of all, let us be thankful.