Greed

Greetings Dear Reader,

I hope that your Thanksgiving was full of family and joy.  Mine sure was.  I found great joy in the food that I served, the friends that came, and in the time with my children and my Grandson.  My younger Son, Bezel could not be there and I missed him greatly.

What really astounded me was that for reason merchants felt that the right way to celebrate a day of giving thanks and a time for families was to require workers to be present.  Many stores chose to open Thanksgiving Day.  All this said to me was greed.  It caused me to avoid everything to do with shopping for both Thursday and Friday. 

I am saddened by the greed that is flooding over into a day that is supposed to be dedicated to giving thanks for the blessings we already have.  I realize that esteeming one day over another is simply a social construct.  Those constructs, however, are what teach us morals and values.  What does it say about those values if we put the shopping above time with family and pull others away from theirs so that we can indulge our need to consume?

Further I am horrified by the increased violence associated with “Black Friday” events.  People push, shove, and harm others for a better deal.  One woman used pepper spray to clear crowds away from the Xbox she wanted.  People got into physical conflicts over yoga pants, bath towels, and waffle makers. 

In reading stories in the news about the aforementioned incidents a theme recurred.  Most of the writers referred to Thanksgiving as a day dedicated to overindulgence.  Again it troubles me that we ponder greed over giving thanks.  We embrace food and shopping over gratitude and the needs of others.

I am thankful for so many things in my life.  I know that I show that gratitude.  I worry that the world is losing this.  I fear for the overwhelming greed that enshrouds what is the beginning of the Christmas season.  It saddens me that we grasp for more when there are still those without common necessities.  I fear that the growth of the greed will only continue.  I am determined to make a difference.  In coming days we will ponder how.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."