Opinion > Columnists > Brent Castillo

Posted on Thu, Nov. 27, 2008

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Reflect the traits of nation's forefathers

There is a lot to like about Thanksgiving: It's not overly commercialized, you don't have to bring gifts to the gathering, and of course the food. But part of the holiday's special appeal is the story of the Pilgrims, because they encapsulate many of the qualities that we esteem and that we hope are found in ourselves.

Americans remember the harsh conditions that greeted the Pilgrims and that, with much help from Native Americans, they were able to overcome. Their fortitude appeals to the sense of rugged individualism that we so highly regard. Many of us like to think that we, too, have some of the same mettle.

Henry Cabot Lodge, an early 20th-century politician, summed it up well when he said that "they had their faults and shortcomings, but they were not slothful in business and they were most fervent in spirit."

Many of us also appreciate that the Pilgrims weren't too proud to acknowledge that though they did the hard work with their own hands, ultimately it was God who provided for their well-being. Currently there's a vocal and energized secular movement, but faith in God and a trust in his providence are still core beliefs for many Americans.

President Abraham Lincoln acknowledged these values when he made his Thanksgiving proclamation in 1863: "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."

The Pilgrims also modeled a close-knit community of family and friends. We've idealized the first Thanksgiving dinner in which the Pilgrims and Indians played games and feasted together, because many of us yearn for the type of strong relationships that drew our predecessors together. It's part of what has for generations drawn us back to our families and friends for the holiday.

"There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to.... It is the one day that is purely American," American author O. Henry wrote of Thanksgiving Day a hundred years ago.

This year is a good one to reflect the traits lived out by our forefathers. With the economic turmoil, divisive politics and global unrest, it's been an uneasy year, and some of us are struggling to find things for which to be thankful.

If our investments have shrunk or we've been laid off, or both, perhaps we can find some encouragement by the tenacity of the Pilgrims. Their struggles went beyond financial woes to ones of life and death.

If we don't know where to turn to for help, maybe we can rekindle our faith that has lain dormant as we accrued material possessions. Let's also remember to say a prayer for those serving in the military who are away from their families this holiday season.

Families and friends, after all, are at the heart of the Thanksgiving feast. They are the ones for whom we should be most thankful.

Brent Castillo appears in Opinion on Thursdays. Reach him at bcopinion@gmail.com.