The story goes that the Plymouth Colony had a poor harvest going into their first winter, even though they shared all things in common, and were rescued from starvation by their Indian neighbors, and it's true, but the rest of the tale teaches the take-home lesson. After a few such meager harvests, many deaths and spreading resentment and despair, William Bradford, Plymouth's leader, assigned each family a plot of land to call and till as its own, keeping the proceeds and ending the collective experiment. This worked out better. Come the next harvest, not only did families have enough to feed themselves through the winter, but a surplus, and held a post-harvest feast to celebrate and give thanks to Providence for their bounty and deliverance. That feast, in 1623, was the first Thanksgiving--and the lesson that Americans took to heart was that the best of all possible worlds was to own and tend one's own garden.
The lesson of Plymouth is the continuing lesson for America: tend thine own garden and never fail to give thanks for what you have. Thanksgiving is not a specifically religious holiday (although it has Christian roots), and this is not a specifically religious piece, but if we are to give thanks, to whom? The stars? Gaia? Chance? Or, ecumenically, Providence? I thank God. You know, he from whom all blessings flow? Who gives life, gives us a chance (indeed, endless chances), imbues us with free will? Those without faith may not understand, but those who have it know that faith makes everything a little easier -- easier to pinpoint your blessings, easier to carry burdens, easier to locate yourself in both the moment and the arc of a life, easier to cultivate the "attitude of gratitude" that improves those moments as a pinch of salt does nearly every dish, sweet or savory, worth eating. Gratitude concentrates the mind and fuels the spirit for the job ahead. Pilgrims, we have a big job ahead of us.
Confucius cursed us: May you live in interesting times. Today, we certainly do. For many, this year's harvest is meager compared to years past. Some believe that this nation will never again see the abundance we claimed as a birthright, not understanding that claiming it as a birthright was our first and largest mistake. Some believe that America's mission in the world was a fool's enterprise, now finished--not understanding that that mission may be just around history's corner from bearing fruit. I won't make light of it: we are in real trouble. We cry out that the American Dream is slipping away, forgetting that that dream was never about owning a home, but owning ourselves. Some would surrender liberty for security, forgetting that our extraordinary American security was the result of our liberty--and willingness to defend it. We have forgotten that every American generation stands upon Plymouth Rock, staring at a world that can always be made new.
In a song, Bob Dylan asked: When you gonna wake up? This presumes we are sleeping, and we are--even those of us who believe ourselves engaged. We pay lip service to First Things, elevate trivia, exalt our animal natures and blind ourselves to the miracles of everyday life. With all our American bounty, we've forgotten how to separate the wheat from the chaff. We talk big about freedom and carelessly toss off the words "free will," forgetting that what and why we will are far more important than how we exercise that will. We can't blame Wall Street--or Occupy Wall Street. We can't blame the 1% or the 99%. We can't even blame the government, because we have the government, today, that we deserve--because we let it happen. We have profaned what is holy; or, for those not moved by religious language, broken what is fundamental and holistic.
No, not broken, just badly bruised. Like matter, the First Things have already been created and cannot be destroyed so long as humans walk on earth. Some things are mysterious and beyond our power of understanding, but the First Things--or First Principles--of life are not a mystery. They are obvious and eternal--we will make no progress until we return to them. We will not mend the nation before we mend our ways. Nor will we return to them until we understand the power of giving thanks. Like love, thanking is a verb. It requires action. Americans act in the world; we don't sit and wait for the world to act on us. And the First Things have an added virtue: they work. Every time. Family. Industry. Courage. Foresight. Prudence. Simplicity. Faith. God helps those who help themselves, and we are His tools in the world. Good intentions are not enough, but good results never come from bad intentions. Tend thine own garden, and love thy neighbor as thyself. It s not what a man owns that defines him, but what owns him. Be prepared. Waste not, want not. Run hard, but don't hurry.
When you gonna wake up? I said...when you gonna wake up? When you gonna wake up...and strengthen the things that remain?
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. God bless you all.
