thanksgiving

It is always upsetting when a holiday's original purpose is completely lost. It's even more upsetting when the purpose is twisted into the polar opposite of its original intent.

When Lincoln decided to adopt the tradition into a national holiday, Lincoln said:

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.

--Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln (October 3, 1863)

History is clear that the holiday's intent had very little to do with turkey. But the gluttonous binging of food was not enough for the twisted progression of Thanksgiving. Instead, it has now grown to doorbuster deals on Black Friday--waking up at 3AM to purchase things you don't need has become the highlight of the weekend for some people, overshadowing the previous day completely. The overindulgence has become commercialized in a society where consumerism has become a religion.

I have to admit that I did not fast this Thanksgiving, lest I condemn myself into hypocrisy. I figured it was just one day, and that the Church Fathers didn't foresee a national holiday of turkey-eating. But I missed the point completely--the original purpose of this day was not to give thanks by indulgence. Indeed, even before Lincoln, the Pilgrims did not at all envision a Thanksgiving as an all-you-can-eat buffet. Instead, it originated as a gathering in the Lord's name for prayer and fasting. Thus, while many Orthodox Christians may cringe when the calendar calls for fasting a day before turkey day, it is actually the perfect start to a season of humble thanksgiving.

the "progressive" downfall

One of the strangest things about society nowadays is how upside-down mainstream views are portrayed in the media. For the most part, a traditional choice is looked down upon as being somewhat boring or irrelevant. For instance, those who make different choices regarding sexual orientation are often praised for coming out and telling everyone about it--to the point where schools and employers will see it as a plus just for stating that you choose another orientation. It is pushed as tolerant, accepting, and progressive. Also, if you disagree with those life choices, you are a closed-minded, gun-wielding bigot who refuses to adapt to the times.

But it doesn't stop at sexual orientation. The feminist movement has been pushed to the point where any sort of male pride is equated to chauvinistic masculism. It's challenging to find a show or movie that portrays a man as a leader--intelligent, passionate, loving, strong. Instead, the woman is always picking up after the man and cleaning up his messes in life. Well, it seems that this country has conceded to feminists, and it has now gotten to the point where, for every 100 women in college, there are only 77 men. Society got what it asked for--women leaders, emasculated men. That's "equality," right?

And that's where the word "tolerance" becomes a mask for what's really going on--liberal agendas surreptitiously infiltrating society. It is truly scary to see what the next generation will have to deal with. I am hopeful that the flaws of the current system will be self-evident, and perhaps a correction will result, where men can freely be men, and women freely be women.

educating the poor

I get the feeling that, when serving the poor (literally, spiritually, emotionally), people tend to look at them as in some way inferior. This could be as innocent as considering them the younger brethren, while we consider ourselves as counselors or helpers to them...like we are doing them a service.

We are always ready to make a saint or
prophet of the educated man who goes into cottages to give a little
kindly advice to the uneducated. But the medieval idea of a saint or
prophet was something quite different. The medieval saint or prophet
was an uneducated man who walked into grand houses to give a little
kindly advice to the educated.
--Chesteron's Heretics

It is the poor who teach us. Stop preaching to them. Start listening.