My new Thanksgiving tradition

I am an agnostic, so the notion of thanking a deity for the good things I've had in the past year seems odd to me. And, to be honest, my life's been so lousy for so long that I generally have had trouble coming up with much to be thankful for.

This year is different. Despite the horrors of the political situation, my personal situation is much better than it was a year ago. It occurred to me that I certainly did not do it alone, and more appropriate than thanking a deity, even if I believed in such, is thanking those who have done so much to improve my situation. So I am going to write thank-you letters to all the people who have improved my life in the past year. (Only wish I had thought of it sooner, so they could have them for Thanksgiving, but I'll send as many electronic ones as I can! ^_^;;;)

This is DU's.

Since I joined in July, DU has been one of the things that has helped me hold together. Even when the news was bad, even when I had sharp disagreements with other DUers, nonetheless there is no longer the sense that I am alone in my desire to see this country become a more compassionate and more democratic place. I knew I could turn to DU even when I wanted advice on something officially unpopular (emigration) because, in the end, that's what we do here: try to find ways for people to be who they are. About the only thing not tolerated is anyone who stands in someone else's way of being who they are.

Thanks, folks. Boy, did I need you! Thanks for every day you keep me sane.

And I reaaly like your idea of writing letters of
appreciation to people who have made positive
contributions to your life. Splendid Idea and suggestion.

I know how you feel about DU; I share your sentiment.
We do get in some heated discussions, but that is the
basis of the foundation of this country: discussion and debate.
A quality that is rapidly evaporating in our society.
I am thankful for DU and for posters like YOU!
Your thoughts have inspired me.
Thank You.
BHN

me more aware of what is really going on and holding my hand as we went through it together, and, just think, we get to do it for four more years. Aaarrrggghhhh! Writing people about how they helped you get through the bad times is a good idea, but, honestly, the only people who did help me are right here at DU. Thanks, Everybody.

It occurred to me that someone might take my comment that thanking people is more appropriate than thanking a deity as religion-bashing. While I grant I have bashed from time to time in my life and I do think an American holiday should have an observance that is not religiously based, this was in fact not a case of bashing.

My reasoning is thus:

1. Deities are generally omniscient. The only ones I can think of that aren't (and I am better read on this topic than most Americans) are the Classical gods. They could be lied to and spied on each other, so clearly they weren't omniscient. All the others I know of are, and so they know if you're grateful or not without being told. Humans don't.



2. Deities can be thanked at any time. They all hear silent prayers, so you can literally thank your deity whenever you remember to be thankful for something. With people, you have to do it when you make contact, so you might as well sit down and think about it and make sure you've thanked people for the good stuff they've done.



3. Deities are generally omnipotent. Therefore it's a good sight easier for them to do you favors than it is for the average human, who generally has to go out of their way to do such. That extra effort should be recognized.

I do think a country that at least pretends to religious freedom should have a signifcant observance in their chief particularly national festival that is not religiously based. But this was not an attempt to bash religion being part of it for anyone.

You can even thank your deity while you thank other humans, if you like. ^_^

I can't even remember the spin that the Native tribe from Plymouth house on PBS (or whatever that series was called) said Thanksgiving came out of. I am getting old. But they definitely said it was bogus b.s., they called the whole thing out and told what really happened. It ain't like what they taught us in school.

I know that Thanksgiving as currently instituted is not sensitive to the Native American experience.

If this were our Thanksgiving tradition, it would be. Thanksgiving would be a day set aside for recognizing all the good that has happened to you in the previous year and giving thanks to those who made it possible. It's not like Native American cultures would be against that. If they want to put Thanksgiving on a different day, to break it with the celebration that is so painful to them, that would be OK with me, too. I think we should recognize the harm done to Native Americans by the European invasion of the continent; I think the national mythology that we are taught as "history" in school should be thrown out in favor of the actual thing.

Too much of this country's current behavior is separating these Americans from those Americans. What I'm trying to do here is come up with something that could truly be a bonding ritual for us all.

have canceled our participation in holidays this year and it may be permanent. Sitting around with relatives eating ourselves sick has always been a disgusting drag, but this year the idea has become unbearable. Xmas is also a disgusting ritual in consumerism that we will opt out of this year. This shall be our new tradition.

This reminds me of a discussion I had a long time ago - and why I can still celebrate T-giving: It seems that many are hung up on what is the indirect object of thanksgiving - thanks be to whom???? ---- oh, yeah - god....right, the invisible guy. I am happy enough to give (verb) thanks(direct object) - end of story. To whom? who cares - i am thankful for peole and luck and what not - qho needs to be thanked is irrelevant, but I can be thankful... end of story

would like to know that you're grateful for them?

I mean, just being generically thankful is fine, but it's so much nicer for those you're grateful for if you actually let them know that, don't you think?

Things will get better and often when we feel there is nothing to be thankful for, we can be thankful for the goods things that have happened in our lives in the past that we were able to experience if even for only a little while. Remember we could have been denied even that.

Along this line I have(in my past) made a mental note of what I should be thankful for. If I had enough to eat I made sure to thank my bounty by giving a box of food stuffs to the local food pantry. Along this line warmth could mean a box of new mittens and scarves to the local shelter. A decent set of wheels could help a senior to the doctor or the store. I never understood the prayer thing. If you are grateful show it--do it not just pray about it. :)