Thanksgiving sets a certain precedent that I do not agree with. It seems to me like it is indoctrinated with Leibniz's optimism - that our world is the optimal, best of all possible worlds.
Well... that is an argument that cannot come from anything but pure ignorance. I think the "best" really means "most balanced" - because anyone can see it's not best. People dying is not good. Is there enough love compared to death? Are the Editors right, when they say "In the end all you can hope for is that the love you've felt is equal to pain you've gone through"? Are Rolling Stones right when they say "You can't always get what you want"? Is Buddha right, when he talks about earth being the realm of suffering, as opposed to Nirvana?
Thanksgiving made me realized that the reason why I don't like New Year's resolutions is in fact because people never resolve to do anything great. Otherwise it's a great idea.
Thanksgiving seems to kill motivation to get better. You can't be always patted on your shoulder, even if you fail. That is a major problem of the first world.
I propose to create a new holiday to counter-balance Thanksgiving; The Day of Remembrance of All Utter Failures in Your Life.
Hey, with this post you' ve actually made me put the Rolling Stones CD in the player right now! And if you proposed a particular date, I' m sure you even would make me start celebrating that holiday. No doubt that we need it!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely one of my all-time Rolling Stones favorites! Well, since I have no ambition to become the ruler of the world (or even US), proposing a date would be useless. But hey, you can celebrate any time! Some people already do. The best kind of celebration is hiding below a table with a bottle of wine and a bucket of ice-cream. Though if I really were to make it an annual holiday, I'd make it on Valentine's day.
ReplyDeleteHeh. That's kinda sad.