Len Hanley: Thanksgiving’s original intent is far from celebration today

To The Daily Sun,

I write to express my dismay at the contemporary understanding and celebration of Thanksgiving, which often strays far from its original intent as articulated by Abraham Lincoln. In his 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation ("The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln"), Lincoln called upon the nation to set apart a day for "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." He recognized the nation's blessings amidst a civil war, attributing them to "the gracious gifts of the Most High God."

Today, however, Thanksgiving frequently devolves into a display of entitlement, focusing on material abundance and personal gratification rather than collective gratitude and spiritual reflection. The spirit of humble acknowledgment of divine providence, so central to Lincoln's proclamation, is often overshadowed by consumerism and a sense of deservingness. We seem to have forgotten that the very act of giving thanks implies a recipient of that gratitude.

Lincoln's proclamation was a profound call to acknowledge a higher power and to offer sincere thanks for national prosperity and preservation. It was not merely a celebration of a harvest, but a solemn recognition of divine favor. I urge readers to revisit Lincoln's words and consider how we might reclaim the true spirit of Thanksgiving ― one of genuine gratitude to God, rather than an entitled expectation of abundance.

The parade is just an advertisement to get us to spend lots of money, and does not have to anything do with Thanksgiving. I don't watch and never have gone. Same for Black Friday; a push to spend more money on mostly cheap generic junk they are trying to get rid of by giving readers what they think are deals. After giving thanks no less. I will celebrate Thanksgiving as giving thanks to Jesus Christ and God only. 

Len Hanley

Barnstead