Have we lost the true significance of “Thanksgiving?”
“Black Friday” has crept backwards into Thanksgiving Day itself – now referred to as “Black Thursday.”
In many places, the waning hours of Thanksgiving were dark, indeed.
Police in Virginia reported a stabbing incident. Two men got into a fight in the car parking lot over a space. One used his fists; the other, a knife.
A police officer responding to the scene of a shoplifting around 10 p.m. at a Kohl’s store in Romeoville, Ill., saw the alleged thief dragging another officer along with his car. The responding officer shot the driver to stop him.
People pushed, shoved, brawled, and generally acted like they had lost their senses.
Why?
Great deals on merchandise?
Many stores usually closed on Thanksgiving Day opened at some point Thursday to get a jump on the Black Friday rush. These stores robbed their employees of time with their families, a mainstay of the Thanksgiving celebration.
Have we forgotten the real purpose of Thanksgiving Day?
Have our deities changed into material items we can put on charge cards?
Although the true origins of Thanksgiving seem shrouded in mystery, we do know that the Pilgrims celebrated a bountiful harvest in 1623, and the Puritans of Massachusetts had an annual observance of Thanksgiving that dated from 1630 and continued unbroken until 1680.
The first “national” proclamation of Thanksgiving dates from 1777. This proclamation was issued by the Continental Congress even as our young nation struggled for its independence. Technically, we were not a nation yet. We were colonies in rebellion against Great Britain. Delegate Samuel Adams wrote a draft of the proclamation that was revised and later adopted by the full Congress. The proclamation begins with these words:
“For as much as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of; ….”
The proclamation urges the legislative and executive powers of each state to express their gratitude to God for His blessings, to consecrate themselves to His service, to make penitent confession of their sins, and to seek forgiveness through the merits of Jesus Christ.
On October 3, 1789, President George Washington made a proclamation creating the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America. That proclamation read, in part:
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks ….”
During the dark days of the War Between the States, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of national thanksgiving be observed the last Thursday of November in 1863. This document, authored by William Seward, Lincoln’s Secretary of State, said:
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”
Did you notice the common theme?
The purpose of Thanksgiving Day is … uh … well, to express our gratitude to God for the rich blessings we have received.
Do we do justice to the history and purpose of Thanksgiving when we turn it into another hyped-up commercial enterprise? Do we live up to the measure of those who founded this nation when we are willing to brawl over merchandise and parking spaces?
Next year, let’s forget “Black Thursday” and use one day to focus our attention on truly giving thanks and spending time sharing that gratitude within our families.
We are better than pushing, shoving, brawling, grabbing, and snatching.
Nothing on sale, even for a great price, should prompt us to sacrifice our common decency to covetousness.
Mike Parker is a columnist for The Free Press. You can reach him at mparker16@suddenlink.net or in care of this newspaper.