Column #222

How many Americans are actually thankful these days? It seems to me that too many of them spend too much of their time being outraged, disappointed, afraid, depressed, anxious, tired, joyless, unmotivated, envious, regretful, and just plain out of sorts.

Well, coming soon is the one day of the year that’s specifically set aside for discarding all those negative thoughts. It’s a day for giving thanks. It’s a day where the glass is more than half full. In fact, it’s the day where we give thanks that our cups runneth over.¹

Some people actually believe that saying “cups runneth over” is “fighting words.” But that’s their perception and not the intent. I’m merely trying to discuss the reason for Thanksgiving and the celebration it represents.²

Even though it’s celebrated on different days, Thanksgiving is definitely a Canadian and American holiday that is being celebrated in at least eight additional countries. There are also harvest festivals in many other countries around the world that are celebrated at various times depending on their latitudes which dictates their growing seasons.^{3 4}

In today’s “advanced” urban societies the harvest is no longer appreciated. When it comes to food, most folks live a life of year-round plenty. They literally have no concept of what a good or poor harvest means. People even have year-round access to the healthiest foods if they so choose. A roof over their heads is no big deal either. Having power at the flip of a switch is taken for granted. Most folks have private vehicles, taxi service, local mass transportation, and access to coast to coast airline travel all at a very modest cost. In spite of its flaws and cost, America’s healthcare system is the envy of the world. Even our children have portable phones, computers, and vivid color television the likes of which were only sci-fi dreams just a couple of decades ago.

It’s not surprising then that, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, many Americans who are classified as “poor” by the U.S. government would be middle income globally. On top of all the creature comforts, Americans have freedoms of choice the likes of which were quite restricted in 1620. And this freedom of choice is not just an American thing, it’s the same in many other societies which is why the world is more peaceful now than it has been for most of history.^{5 6}

In spite of the mundane nature of the luxuries and freedoms most Americans enjoy, there are still families and friendships that we all must cherish and give thanks for having. It’s the social aspects of Thanksgiving that really works its magic. Ninety or so Wampanoag (Indians) “crashed” the pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving with a surprise appearance at the settlement’s gate. And it was only with the assistance of the Wampanoag that the first Thanksgiving was a really abundant feast. Good times were had by all and it wasn’t just families getting together to celebrate, but friends too.⁷

So as we gather this Thanksgiving at our respective locations let’s make it as old fashion as we can. Spend a few minutes thinking about from where our blessings flow. These days our nation along with many other nations around the world are all part of one big community. There are more individuals involved with supporting us and in turn depending on us than ever before in history. As we think over our blessings, it’s doubly important to express them out loud to others. And it's also important to give thanks spiritually to God for our world of many wonders and the many riches both physical and spiritual that we enjoy.⁸

Will your Thanksgiving this year be like the one depicted in Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want” painting? Let’s make it that way.⁹

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

For additional reading:

1. Psalm 23 King James Version from Bible Gateway

2. Fighting Words from Legal Information Institute at Cornell University

3. 9 Other Countries That Celebrate Thanksgiving from Yahoo Finance

4. List of Harvest Festivals from Wikipedia

5. How Americans Compare with the Global Middle Class by Rakesh Kochhar from Pew Research Center

6. The world has become more peaceful by University of Oslo from Phys.org

7. Everyone's History Matters: The Wampanoag Indian Thanksgiving Story Deserves to Be Known by Lindsay McVay from Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

8. Spiritually Connected Friends Are The People You Need In Your Life from Spiritual United

9. Freedom from Want (painting) from Wikipedia