An Important Choice To Make After Giving Thanks
An Important Choice To Make After Giving Thanks
By chris danilo on Nov 22, 2018 05:00 am
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Thanksgiving is about giving thanks.
There are a billion places on the internet where you can learn about how this holiday came to be.
You can learn about how Edward Winslow’s account of the Pilgrim’s harvest in 1621 mentioned that they ate some turkey–among other things.
You can learn about how it’s not about any help given to the colonists by the Wampanoag Indians.
You can learn about how Thanksgiving was actually a way to commemorate the deeply religious and ceremonious massacre of about 700 Native American men, women, and children.
Intense.
By not knowing the truth, it’s easy to think of our current selves differently.
Instead of seeing our ancestors as murderers or genocidal maniacs, we get to see them as conquerors and adventurers.
We get to feel like their courage somehow has passed on to us, and we get to feel proud.
The alternative creates too much dissonance. It just doesn’t seem possible. How could that be part of us?
The next thing to remember is that we get to choose who we are from here.
It’s up to us to revise our ethics, empathize with one another, and be grateful for the planet we have.
It’s true for Thanksgiving history and it’s true for our everyday lives.
Here’s a tool I use to recalibrate after each Thanksgiving:
It’s a quick read from Seth Godin about giving thanks.
I read it every year.
It takes longer than 2 minutes to read the whole thing, so that’s up to you.
2 Minute Action
Read the Thanksgiving Reader for 2 minutes–though it’ll be hard to only spend 2 minutes on it.
Or, take 2 minutes to thank one person in your life for being them. Be specific. Call out characteristics or moments that you love about them.
Let them know how they’ve helped change your life.
Also, just for the record. I’ve got a ton of other resources like this in my personal VAULT.
And that’s free for everyone, so feel free to share.
Have a warm and happy Thanksgiving.
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