Giving Thanks

[sear]

Is the life of an ingrate worth living?
Even one blessed with the most beautiful home, the fastest car, the largest bank account balance, etc, what does it amount to if the one with such bounty doesn't appreciate it.

It's not uncommon in Christian households to conduct a brief ritual of thanks, of appreciation before a meal. "Saying grace." But one need not be Christian to "count your blessings".

The holiday* of Thanksgiving coincides with the Autumn harvest. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to appreciate the luxury of not having to survive by foraging hand to mouth as a hunter / gatherer on daily basis.

There's no denying the religious overtones, even the definition of the word holiday makes that clear. But the reality is it's humanity, community, civilization, division of labor that we have to thank for this bounty, albeit with a generous collaboration from a thriving ecosystem.

Before the feast, remember the farmers that produce, the teamsters that transport, the retailers that keep the stores open, the workers that stock the shelves, and all the others that do their share in running a mostly peaceful, prosperous society. Thank you one and all.

* hol·i·day (hŏlĭ-dā′) n. 1. A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event. 2. A religious feast day; a holy day. 3. Chiefly British A vacation. Often used in the phrase on holiday. [Middle English holidai, holy day, from Old English hālig dæg : hālig, holy; see HOLY + dæg, day; see DAY.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

 

[titan]

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[sear]

There's a broadcast TV series on the network called Alone. It's a stupendous education.
10 individuals are separately deployed into the wilderness with about 80 lbs of gear. It's a simple endurance competition, to see which of them can survive the longest, living on their own in the wild.
Many of the participants / contestants simply wash out due to starvation, losing 20% or more of their body weight, etc.
For all of them, hunting & gathering is their main preoccupation.

The ~80 lbs. of gear they have can include fish hooks, nylon line, a modern bow & arrows, a steel knife & axe, at least one flashlight, and a ferro rod for more easily starting fires, a timber-saw, modern arctic clothing, etc.
The aboriginal natives obviously didn't have these technological advantages, and yet survived for perpetual generations.

Even the wash-outs attest to the benefits of the experience. And many of them are articulate enough, candid enough to communicate that experience to the television audience with enlightening, fundamental insights.

One of the more interesting revelations I've gotten as a fan of this series is how quickly these contestants develop or reveal a spiritual or emotional tie to their ecosystem similar if not identical to the aboriginal natives. They often give thanks for a kill when it invariably provides them much needed food.

The proverb warns that "You should not bite the hand that feeds you." But maybe you should, if it prevents you from feeding yourself.
psychiatrist Thomas Szasz

I'm sincerely grateful for the bounty, the manifold comforts of modern Western living. But this Alone series has called to my attention that this unprecedented saturation of modern convenience, safe running water, a hot water shower, a cooking stove and microwave oven, and the luxury of not having the personal joy of launching a steamer when it's below zeroF.

The luxuries are undeniable. But this Alone series does leave me wondering, certainly the ease of buying as much long-term storage food as I have room to store is appreciated. But has it estranged me from an invaluable spiritual connection?

Pictured below: a Paiute Deadfall Trap. Many contestants use these to catch mice, which both help feed the contestants, and helps keep the mice from ruining their gear.