On Thursday, 28 November 2013, Americans come together as a nation to celebrate Thanksgiving Day: A time to give thanks for God’s benefits on our nation and in our lives. Giving thanks may be far from our thoughts as we continue to live in uncertain and difficult times. Several people I know are facing adversity.
I give thanks for dark days; only then am I able to appreciate all that is good.
I give thanks for helplessness; it forces me to find my strength.
I give thanks for defeat; I learn not to underestimate my opponent.
I give thanks when I am in need; I learn to receive from others with an open heart.
I give thanks for the times I fail; success becomes mine to savor.
I give thanks for my fears; only then can I be truly courageous.
I give thanks when despair clouds my vision of tomorrow; hope is born.
I give thanks for my loss; I learn to appreciate the people in my life.
I give thanks when I’m brought to my knees; therein lies the path to humility and compassion.
I give thanks for rejection and abandonment; I am filled with universal love.
Life abounds with duality. We cannot exist without the influence of the negative and positive forces of Nature. We have to accept the good with the bad. With birth comes death.
The consequences of the insatiable greed of the powerful, minority elite teach us the value of sharing wealth among all citizens. The destruction of our planet in our frenzy for more and more stuff teaches us what is truly important in our lives. Empires have risen and fallen. In refusing to learn from the lessons of the past, we rush headlong toward the abyss.
I give thanks for those individuals among us who risk their freedom and security to stand up to those in power in defense of humanity and the planet we all call home.
A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever. The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises… What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Take anything of which it may be said, ‘Look now, this is new’. Already, long before our time, it existed. Only no memory remains of earlier times, just as in times to come next year itself will not be remembered.
Ecclesiastes 1: 4 & 9-11
Three Worlds One Vision 
Reblogged this on Guyanese Online and commented:
R0saliene: “Happy Thanksgiving” to you and your family and friends.
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Thanks, Cyril. And thank you for sharing my post with your readers on the Guyanese Online blog.
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Sorry I do not share the religious sentiments …but wish all believers their
thoughts of the “hungry” on their feastful day.
Kamptan
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I know, Kamptan. I respect that.
It’s not our religion – or our political party – that defines who we are as individuals, but rather our love for the Other.
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A lovely post that reframes hardship, and touches on aspects of Western and Eastern religion, as well as Stoic thought.
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Thanks, Dr. Stein. Each religion, I believe, has something to teach us about the spiritual nature of man.
I’m surprised that you mention Stoic thought as I’ve never studied Stoicism. This must come from the influence of Jesuit priests in shaping my spiritual life. Or is Lao-tzu?
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I think that the Stoic influence is more pervasive than we think. It asks us to live in the moment and accept things as they are. It believes that much stress is imposed by ourselves on ourselves by simply making too much of the passing ups and downs of life. Most things resolve. The Stoics tell us to remove our “self” from life, remove much of our ambition and effort to achieve things, money, recognition and so forth that will only make us unhappy. You might want to read Epictetus, one of the major Stoic philosophers. I think he will resonate with you.
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Rosaliene, thanks for sending your kind thoughts and sharing your beautiful sentiments. Best wishes to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving too.
Kamptan, my friend, I’ve seen greater gestures of charity and humanity toward the hungry and homeless during this period of Thanksgiving and Christmas than any other times. Of course, we all wished the world could be more kind and generous to the less fortunate but there are those who are selfish and care less for others. that’s the reality and we have no control of that. I feel hunger and homeless will persist because of the great disparity of wealth and the reluctance to share. There is a thought I recall that says “True religion is not the creed we profess, it’ s the life we live.” Yes, all religions preach the tenets of charity, love and peace but all the people do not practice them.
There are not enough good neighbors within the brotherhood of man.
Peace,
Deen
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Thanks, Deen. May your household be filled with love and thankfulness this Thanksgiving Day.
Giving and receiving is one of those dualities of life. It’s giving that does not count the cost, that does not expect something in return from the receiver. I don’t think we fully appreciate its power in enriching and transforming our lives. We’ve become trapped in the business practice of ‘you do-for-me’ and ‘I’ll do-for-you’.
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Indeed
The greed and averice of mankind towards his kind will continue ….
Its is greater joy in giving than receiving….little UK gave more to help
the suffering of the Philippines more than many any other…..
The Brits are the most compassionate on the planet….
some say it is the guilt of the legacy of their empire.
I disagree ….it is the generosity and charitable culture
Inbred in their society….
Fortunate there are more good than evil on the planet…
Guess that makes me the everlasting optimist…
with a sharp critical factuality….
Kamptan
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I also find the American people very generous towards those in need, whether it’s here at home or for people suffering during disasters overseas.
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Thanks for the recommendation, Dr. Stein. I’ll check my local library.
Dr. Stein, I’ve just read JR Benjamin’s blog post on “The Mystery of Suffering: Robert Kennedy and the Meaning of Grief.” Seems that Greek Stoicism is the order of the day. He even provides a link to Epictetus.
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Benjamin is very good at framing some of the great writers. We sometimes have to fight the notion that putting on the “smiley” face is only half of life. The ancient Greeks and Shakespeare knew everything about life worth knowing. The human condition has changed only in terms of technique, not what is fundamentally important.
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I should also have added the ancient Roman philosophers to the list.
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Sorry Rosaline and drgeraldstein …you lost me along the way…you guys go so deep that even this good a swimmer may drown…ha ha…sorry my interlect has
its limitations….never delved into theology or ideology…..more of a realist.
However am forever the optimist
Kamptan
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If there ever was created a day so pure, so noble, it was none other than Thanksgiving day.
Wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Happy Thanksgiving to you Rosaliene and everyone!
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Thanks, Dmitri. I wish you and your beautiful family the same.
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Wisdom is lived not taught….happy thanks giving to y”all…
Kamptan
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Thanks, Kamptan.
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