Giving thanks

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This is my first Thanksgiving outside of America. It has felt relatively un-Thanksgiving-y given that I am in another country, but even so there's a little sense of magic in the air. I'm hosting a dinner that has continually ballooned until now it looks like as many as 22 people will be here. Just now I invited Ali because he was talking about how he had nowhere to go. In a bit me and Ariel and Leyna and maybe Dan are going to Migros, the Turkish equivalent of Wal Mart, to get stuff. It should be fun.

Being outside of the country gives me another perspective on this holiday. To me it means nothing except an opportunity, an excuse (even if a contrived one) to appreciate what you have. As Americans that generally means a lot. It also is an opportunity to reflect on why you have what you have, how you value it, and the fact that there are so many people in this world who live without sustenance, without the abundance you have as an American. As Jean Paul Sartre said, when you make a choice, you are implying that you think that choice is acceptable for all of humanity to make as well. If you value what you have for yourself, how can you not value it for every human? What will you do for those who do not have the chance to give thanks for what you and I have the chance to give thanks for on this day? It might be easy to forget that we are all responsible for even our own lives, let alone the lives of our friends and family, let alone the lives of every other human in one way or another. I hope this day serves as a reminder for you. That is what this holiday is for me--an annual reminder of things that seem so easy to forget, but which I must always strive to keep in mind.

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