Thanksgiving, for our children – Michael Morse

by Michael Morse, contributing writer

I like the Thanksgiving stories I was told as a child, and the four fingers and a thumb turkeys I made, and the food, and the grace and the feeling of well-being that accompanied it.

A child needs safety, and consistency, a sense of place, comfort and tradition. Giving that to them, without guile or lies is far more important than poisoning their intellect with the minutia of history.

The Indians were not saints, nor were the settlers. What truly happened all those years ago is a far cry from what we celebrate, as a nation, today.

But so is just about everything. 

The national obsession with ruining everything in the name of justice is unjustifiable. Life is hard. It was a lot harder in the seventeenth century. Living creates a trail of ugliness alongside the path of beauty. None of us is without baggage, certainly not the European settlers or the Native People of those times. They struggled, cheated, fought and died imperfect humans, just like we will.

The least we can do is take a day off and focus on the positive, and all of the great things humanity has accomplished. And if we celebrate the peaceful breaking of bread between two peoples whose future intertwining was inevitable, violent, unfair and breathtaking, so be it.

The kids need something to believe in. And we need to believe in the kids. They will discover the complexity of humanity as their lives progress. So let’s give them a few years of peace and tranquility that will stay with them through the turbulent times ahead.

Thanks for reading, from my little place on earth.

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Read more article by Michael Morse, here: https://rinewstoday.com/michael-morse/

Michael Morse, [email protected], a monthly contributor is a retired Captain with the Providence Fire Department.

Michael Morse spent 23 years as a firefighter/EMT with the Providence Fire Department before retiring in 2013 as Captain, Rescue Co. 5. He is an author of several books, most offering fellow firefighter/EMTs and the general population alike a poignant glimpse into one person’s journey through life, work and hope for the future. He is a Warwick resident.