Polarization Nation: Now Thanksgiving?
Posted: Friday, November 07, 2008
by Jennifer Cuddy
Boy, am I glad that this election has been decided upon prior to Than
ksgiving and not after. If your family is anything like mine, you've probably been involved in some very passionate and bitter arguments over not only political ideologies, but religious beliefs as well. Odd thing that this particular election has seemed to bring out the very worst in people, only to conclude in one unanimous, " I'm sure glad this is over!" statement. Thank goodness, indeed! It certainly is over.
Can you imagine what Thanksgiving day might have been like if the election had been postponed to December 4th? I can only imagine that whatever could have gone wrong, probably would have: the turkey you made overcooked, Aunt Mary and family got their car stuck in the snow; confused, Great Grandpa Joe slipped on the ice on your doorstep and bumped his head ( that's five of us off to the ER, and five empty seats at the table ). And lastly, rather than delighting in a warm piece of pumpkin pie, opposing cousins who had a bit too much to drink, get into a nasty fistfight - made worse by watching their favorite football teams lose on that big screen telly you paid a fortune for.
*Sighs*
Not this Thanksgiving day, no!
I've seen family members who'd practically disowned each other this year calling for truces. I've heard people who were running anti-Obama campaigns across the country now saying, " Well, I hope he can help us." We are (almost) all calling for a farewell to arms in this extraordinarily polarized nation. Even John McCain himself has conceded with grace and dignity, endorsing his fellow opponent as his now undisputed President. There is a silence amongst us now. I only hope that this reconciliation sentiment can continue to prevail in the coming years ahead. I leave you with this excerpt from The Declaration of Independence. May you interpret it as you wish.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Jennifer,Nicely stated. Like most Americans believe, I hope that this presidential passage brings healing to our country, expecially during this thanksgiving when we give thanks for all the privileges we enjoy. Be well Jennifer.Yes! We should all be thankful for what we have, and reflect upon all of those who have not, for whatever their circumstances. No one wants to be poor.Thank you again!Jennifer
Hello, Jennifer and Amen that it's all over! Hopefully we won't all get indigestion over our Thanksgiving turkey now that we can relax and slow down a little. Thanks for the delightful article.SandraYou're welcome, and thank you!I think it will be a good Thanksgiving.. Or atleast my family has called for truces, and have been accepted.Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, thank you for the encouraging words, there is much to be thankful for and you are right, one of them is that the election was before Thanksgiving day.Have a very blessed celebration on Thanksgiving day!Yes, for sure!Thanks Teresa!
Just as good a second time through :-)Oh..and you too have a Happy Thanksgiving!
hi jennifer,very well said.the time for change is long overdo, and people would stop being so angry, we might actually be able to get along, not just within our united states, but the world. i have great hope that we are finally moving in a humanitarian, not just totally financial direction. i only worry for obama's safety, but have faith God will protect him. thanks for sharing,my best,sueHi Susan,Yes. i agree. And I am also concerned for Obama's safety - which is in itself a very sad reflection of our times. In fact, i encourage anyone who encounters any type of ridiculous, Jim Jones fanatacial notions such as "Obama is the Antichrist" growing in the blogosphere to report these type of sites to the CIA.Thanks,Jennifer
On Thanksgiving Day we give thanks for all of our blessings. Let's hope our new president leads us to a brighter day.I certainly hope so too. People have some very high expectations. It would be unwise and tragic if Obama were to let people down. But people need to be realistic. Change doesn't happen overnight. In fact, all great socioeconomic changes have gone through periods of seemingly anarchic states. What we are seeing and experiencing now, is not very different ( as far as economic theories go ) from the American pre and post Great Depression era.Thanks for reading and commenting!Jennifer
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