Thanksgiving Blues and Greys
I know that this is belated, but Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who reads my words. Thanksgiving is a magical time of year in which we are supposed to feel the warmth of family and share in the bounty of luxuries with which we have been blessed. The operative phrase in that previous sentence was ‘supposed to feel.’
For some reason, I’ve never really gotten into Thanksgiving. I understand the point and values the holiday is meant to convey, but for reasons which I’ve never apprehended, the holiday has simply never resonated with me.
I find the holiday itself pleasant enough. People see each other, good will is supposed to prevail, and even those who normally are busy get to take the day off and let their hair down for a few precious hours. Nevertheless, none of these things really seem to be quite as important to me as the subtext to the holiday’s main event: an enormous dinner in which participants gorge themselves on more food than they really should be eating.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to this… more guilty, maybe. But the massive quantities of food come at a price which I am forced to confront. Every bite I take beyond what I truly need to sustain myself is a bite of food that is not being given to someone who actually needs it. Food is a finite resource. Only so many tonnes are produced each year, and that number is a fixed amount in any given year. Food that is used up in one location means that less is available to be consumed in other locations.
In other words, my over-consumption of food, even on a day like Thanksgiving, comes at a terrible price. People died today because of my actions, and every person in this country similarly situated to myself is guilty of the same awful act.
It is hard to understand that my actions cost people their lives. How could it be true, really? I mean, aside from a very small number of people, most everybody in this country was engaged in the very same actions as I was on Thursday. The idea of a Thanksgiving feast isn’t new to our generation or anything. People have been doing this for hundreds of years.
Sometimes it is the most widespread and most venerated traditions that are the hardest to tear down, but barring any new thoughts on this subject, I must face the cold logic of the situation. Every single person who over-consumed on Thanksgiving has committed a moral wrong that is ultimately reducible to murder.
Think about it.
For some reason, I’ve never really gotten into Thanksgiving. I understand the point and values the holiday is meant to convey, but for reasons which I’ve never apprehended, the holiday has simply never resonated with me.
I find the holiday itself pleasant enough. People see each other, good will is supposed to prevail, and even those who normally are busy get to take the day off and let their hair down for a few precious hours. Nevertheless, none of these things really seem to be quite as important to me as the subtext to the holiday’s main event: an enormous dinner in which participants gorge themselves on more food than they really should be eating.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to this… more guilty, maybe. But the massive quantities of food come at a price which I am forced to confront. Every bite I take beyond what I truly need to sustain myself is a bite of food that is not being given to someone who actually needs it. Food is a finite resource. Only so many tonnes are produced each year, and that number is a fixed amount in any given year. Food that is used up in one location means that less is available to be consumed in other locations.
In other words, my over-consumption of food, even on a day like Thanksgiving, comes at a terrible price. People died today because of my actions, and every person in this country similarly situated to myself is guilty of the same awful act.
It is hard to understand that my actions cost people their lives. How could it be true, really? I mean, aside from a very small number of people, most everybody in this country was engaged in the very same actions as I was on Thursday. The idea of a Thanksgiving feast isn’t new to our generation or anything. People have been doing this for hundreds of years.
Sometimes it is the most widespread and most venerated traditions that are the hardest to tear down, but barring any new thoughts on this subject, I must face the cold logic of the situation. Every single person who over-consumed on Thanksgiving has committed a moral wrong that is ultimately reducible to murder.
Think about it.
posted by The Academian | 9:10 PM
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