It's a fairly disjointed holiday weekend here, b/c Mom & whatever of my sister's tribe is available won't be rolling in until Sunday, and only then will it be Thanksgiving...at least in this little cubbyhole of the Universe. But, by grace of Fortune's mixed alms-purse, I was able to see maternal relatives by the boatload yesterday. New second-cousins-by-marriage, new third-cousins-by-birth, one first cousin I haven't seen since Bicentennial Year--that sort of thing. Was hugged half to pieces, played "stunt child" for an aunt/uncle temporarily bereft of their own brood, was looked after by second cousins I used to look after when I was too old for their Mom to look after me. If you come from a big family, you probably know what I'm talking about. (If not, just trust me on this, 'k?)
Earlier today I was noodling the cognitive dissonance in the notion of a national day of thanks-giving in the cult of the self-made man/woman. I.e.: If one is indeed self-made and all are created equal, for what (tangible) benefits can we actually give thanks? IMO, it's not blasphemy to ask that question of the American psyche. After all, it could be the kind of Zen-question in which the pondering is more important than an answer. Or, more likely, its reconciliation is a matter of pure pragmatism--not unlike the advice to "always trust your fellow man, and always cut the cards."
Granted, I take a certain pride in being the family oddball. But the lingering effects of yesterday's proximity to shared DNA make me pity those who consider themselves entirely self-made and sui generis. It's enough work to make something of oneself; why put the extra work into denying the raw materials one had to work with (or against)? And, therein, is perhaps the reason that Thanksgiving is an overwhelmingly communal holiday: Alone, it's much easier to believe that we are the sole architect and engineer of all good that has come to us. But among our kind, we can't help but acknowledge the good that's been done for our sake...and which we are thus obliged to pay forward.
