While folks across the country were gathered around their
holiday tables, I suspect that conversations were not focused on the First
Thanksgiving when the Pilgrims broke bread with the Wampanoag native Americans
over a 3 day feast in 1621. There was no pumpkin
pie or cranberry sauce served then, and it was more likely that venison was on
the table than turkey. Sometimes, myths are more fun than facts.
The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth
I surmise that the many of our Thanksgiving dinners were
sites of spirited discussions regarding a recent political earthquake that convulsed this country. Indeed, over
the past 3 weeks, I have departed from this blog’s medical commentary, to offer
some thoughts on what occurred and why.
The nation is sorely divided, but I sense that there will be
healing, depending upon everyone’s ability and willingness to listen deeply and
absorb the views of reasonable folks whose opinions differs from ours. Reasonable people are rarely all right or all
wrong.
The campaigns were ugly and many of us abandoned the better
angels of our nature. While candidates
must be held to account for what they said and did, I expect that the incoming
administration will operate within normative restraints. The republic is like an ocean liner whose
course is not easily derailed.
The American experiment is succeeding. For over two centuries, we have witnessed a
peaceful transfer of power in accordance with the wishes of the governed. Not a shot was fired. The current president
and his administration stepped up to assist the president-elect and his team to
effect a smooth transition. The fact
that the president so vehemently opposed the president-elect, and yet pledges
to help him now, only reinforces the majesty of our democratic republic.
Can we all be thankful for this?
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