In a year marked by political vitriol in seemingly every conversation, a implacable scourge of political violence and the high profile political assassination Since 1968, Thanksgiving has come right on time. The truth is that it is always like this. And it always reminds us that long before Americans became addicted to the constant outrage caused by clickbait, ours was a nation rooted in gratitude.
That feeling may seem quite unfamiliar, perhaps even strange, these days. Our national political and cultural discourse, especially online, has degenerated into a permanent fever dream. Social media, which first offered the promise of greater community and interpersonal connection, now thrives on the adrenaline of digital combat. It seems like every news cycle and social media broadcast brings more reason to believe that America is splintering into warring political tribes.
Yet Thanksgiving, the quintessential and timeless American holiday, endures. Thanksgiving, and the broader holiday season that begins, is our annual reminder that gratitude is not simply one feeling among many: it is our core, the glue that holds us together. And the more we forget it, the more we risk irrevocable national collapse.
Consider how our current political climate erodes gratitude. Gratitude requires perspective, but perpetual indignation devours perspective. Gratitude requires humility, but algorithmically exacerbated confirmation bias destroys humility. Gratitude requires presence with family, community, and God, but the digital world keeps us frenetic, distant, and distracted. Nothing about the irritability of our politics and our deafening online discussions encourages that healthier, more holistic view of our lives.
The Thanksgiving season offers a respite from this Sturm und Drang. This time of year forces us to distance ourselves from the outrage and noise. It invites us to contemplate the blessings we did not necessarily think we had earned and the duties we cannot necessarily avoid. reminds us that America's cultural heritage — a shared moral vocabulary, a biblical framework for meaning, a commitment to common good – is something we must preserve for the next generation.
It's telling that even in the current environment, cultural forces that often attempt to redefine other civic rituals find it much more difficult to rewrite a holiday that revolves around basic elements like family, religious devotion and a shared dinner table. There's a reason for that resilience: the elegant, time-tested simplicity of the holiday.
America needs that simplicity (and common sense) more than ever. Family, community and faith remain the best antidotes to the widespread unrest and social collapse of our time. The fall-winter holiday season reminds us of an America that, though often divided and conflicted, was always rooted in man's abiding sources of meaning. And it is those same enduring sources of meaning that, if rediscovered and revalued, can still lead us out of the atomism, mass discouragement, and debilitating acrimony that define our current political and cultural landscape.
This holiday season, I am grateful for my family, especially my wife and our beautiful daughter, who is about to turn 1. I'm grateful to have found it over the years. a resurgent commitment to the ancient religion of my ancestors. I am grateful for my wonderful friends, who have helped serve as a stabilizing counterweight to the destructive political and social crisis. diseases of the day — some of which have conspiratorial elements he pointed me personally. And I'm grateful to live in what is still, warts and all, the greatest country in human history.
You may be thinking that you don't necessarily have all of these things in your life right now. But you can change that. You can enter into a serious romantic relationship and get married. You will be able to have children and start a family. You can make friends. You can discover or rediscover the religion and enduring wisdom found in the Scriptures. And there is recognition, especially as we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next July, for everything about America that we should be grateful for.
Politics, policies and law are, without a doubt, very important areas of public life. I have many strong opinions on these issues, and perhaps you do too. But the mistake many Americans are making now is considering these areas as sources of meaning and fulfillment in themselves. This is unhealthy: politics, policies, and laws are false sources of meaning. Fortunately for us, the true sources of meaning still exist. Better yet, those foundations are as plentiful as ever. And this is the perfect time of year to fall in love with them again.
Josh Hammer's latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Fate of the West.”.” This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. UNKNOWN: @josh_hammer
