I am writing on the day Americans
celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that always fills me with mixed
feelings. Gratitude is wonderful, and getting together with family
and friends can be a blessing. But I know that the stories we
celebrate are white-washed versions of a history that has brought
devastation to so many. I always remember that many Indigenous people
call this the Day of Mourning.
The only time that foreign
immigrants actually brought disease and destruction to this continent
was when the English, Spanish, and French came to settle on its
shores. Millions of Indigenous peoples died from diseases to which
they had no resistance, or were killed in ongoing campaigns by the
newcomers to destroy them and their way of life.
So while I give many thanks for my
life, it feels sacrilegious to give thanks for prosperity that was
built on the suffering and death of so many others. But it does
illuminate for me, in a social psychological way, the possible roots
of our American fear and hatred of foreign immigrants. I wonder if
perhaps these feelings are a form of projection from this
unacknowledged shadow side of American history. People imagine that
new immigrants will bring destruction because the first settlers were
the immigrants who did bring destruction.
This fear of the foreigner never
proved realistic with later immigrants—with the Irish, the Italian,
the Chinese, the German, the Jewish, the Puerto Rican, and so many
others. Despite being hated and derided, they eventually became a
part of the fabric of American life. Perhaps there is a link between
facing more honestly our own shadowed and genocidal history, and
letting go of our fear of the other.
Hard thoughts for a quiet holiday
at home. But so many are cold and hungry and desperately seeking a
safe harbor. And the tide of xenophobia and racism in our country
seems to be rising out of control. Let's help our friends and
neighbors to keep their heads about them. I believe that when we are
lucky enough to have shelter and food and clothing and safety, we are
responsible for sharing what we can with those who are in need. To
me, that is what thanksgiving should be all about. Rev. Myke
