Post-Thanksgiving Reflections

This past weekend was the grand feast of Thanksgiving all over America.  Our own family loves  this holiday and one household becomes the center of a lot of planning and expectations, as we all converge there to prepare foods and of course the turkey.  This year we had three turkeys- being Americans, everyone had to stick to their preference! Some wanted Cajun turkey, others the regular old Butterball, and yet a third segment preferred a “chatpatta” halal turkey, with spices to take away the turkey odor!  The number of side dishes and appetizers was astounding, and the desserts just as much, and of course left untouched due to the gluttony before it.  It is a holiday to reflect and be grateful for what God has given us.  In our family, we have a tradition of an appreciation ceremony, where everyone says what they are most grateful for that year and in general. I also like to remember all our ancestors who have passed and to whom we owe not just our very existence, but our character, our tastes, our preferences, our world experiences and so to them we are most grateful.  As dozens of overstuffed people begin the cleanup process, we all realize how fortunate we are, and how many unfortunates there are in this world. We think of them and how we can do better next year to make the world a better place for them.  What else can I be doing to apply my talents and gifts to this world, so that the poor villagers or farmers or slumdwellers everywhere see some hope, get some food, get some help? Why is it so lopsided, and yes, it has always been so, from Pharaonic times onward. Only now the Pharaohs work on Wall Street, as the Occupy Wall Street protesters demand their rights for a decent life. There was this scene in Dr. Zhivago before the Russian Revolution, where peasants were demanding food, while the nobles were feasting in an amazing palace.  This scene seems to be doomed to repeat itself over and over again – it is humanity’s crucible, our Achilles heel. Could we wake up before it gets to that? Could we mobilize effectively to give and share, not take and hoard? Could we become prophets of our own time, sacrificing for the larger good?