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Thanks For Giving

It's that time of the year again. The leaves have turned from brilliant oranges and yellows to shades of brown. The time had changed and temperatures have cooled and most importantly, Turkey Day is here!
Officially, in America, November 22 is Thanksgiving Day this year (always the 4th Thursday in November). A national holiday where the government shuts down and most everyone gathers with family to over-eat and nap and watch football. It's the day we recognize for giving thanks.

So personally, I'd like to give a shout-out to all the Native Americans (read: Indians) and thank them for sacrificing their way of life, their land and their lives so our great country could be born to police the world.
Seriously, the feast at mid-day is supposed to mark the conclusion of harvest season. Yet here, we teach our children that it emulates the meal the Pilgrims shared with the Indians at Plymouth Rock in 1621. But if you think about it, doesn't it seem more like a slap in the face than a festive occasion?

We celebrate a peace offering lunch every year with paid time off and weekend sales. We call the day Thanksgiving and claim it's a day to give thanks for what we have. But in the beginning wasn't the whole idea of the day to celebrate peace with our Native American friends? Those guys at Plymouth Rock invited King Massasoit and his tribe to share in their three day feast. They meant well. Then our country screwed that idea when we proceeded to systematically exterminate the Indians' tribes and push them onto land that was virtually uninhabitable.

How did the hypocrites in the 1700s and 1800s even celebrate Thanksgiving? How could they not see the absurdity of the holiday while they continued their slaughter? And how could they thank God for their bounty?

When you sit down Thursday to that huge meal with all the fixin's, remember the real memory of Thanksgiving. Remember who gave us that corn (read: maize) that's on the table. When you say the blessing, remember all the history that happened to bring us to this point. Remember all the sacrifices made, willingly and unwillingly. And most of all, remember you have to get to Wal-Mart at 5 AM Friday morning before they run out of that Polaroid 42" LCD TV for $798.

Learn more about this author, Ross Cavins.
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