Giving thanks

On this day of Thanksgiving, let us not forget those who came before us to hand us this sweetest of all gifts: Liberty.

It is ours to cherish, but also to hand forward.

Many have been the wars that our forebearers have fought, men and women both, to expand the concept of what Liberty is and what it means to us.

They died fighting many things, be it Natives of this continent or the malaria of the swamps in draining such, or the vagaries of climate. And yet, through that all, we have won closer to understanding Liberty and thus Freedom.

So many gainsay and point to those that were not recognized nor given Freedom and Liberty in their day. Yet, remember that our modern times does not define either for All Time and that those that come after us, if we be so lucky as to survive this era, will redefine it yet Again, and quite some few cast aspersions upon us for not being 'more perfect'. More Free.

It is not our goal nor task to seek perfection of society for good and all, for that is the route to Tyranny and Enslavement. Those who seek utter perfection and decry our lack of same so easily, now need to come off their perch on high and roll up their sleeves and help us. Bow our heads and close our eyes and give deep and great thanks to those who fought so hard to KEEP their Liberty and Freedom as They saw it, so that we could improve upon it time and time and time again.

We came together to make this Nation as One People, but diverse as Individuals. And in that joining we agree to those things necessary to create a Nation continuously and to not once nor ever perfect it as that, in our sphere of things, brings an end to both Liberty and Freedom. Not once nor ever shall we lose sight of the brave and guiding light of statement put forth by Our Forebearers that, indeed, it is self-evident that all men are created equal. And when we make bargains for this Nation, we must ensure that this ideal is not betrayed lest our own idea of Freedom and Liberty be lessened in that doing.

Using such ideal as a cudgel to castigate brings forth the misunderstanding that in that self-evident knowledge, not all men have equal understanding of it nor ability to create forms of living around them to ensure that it is kept safe for them. Many are the enemies of Liberty and Freedom and the worst of those are those who use it to demean the hard work of sustaining those ideals by asserting over and over that we must be perfect. The ideal is perfect, but we who must carry it out are not. Such castigation rides in the face of that and demeans those that assert such things and those that are the target and the entirety of Liberty and Freedom.

When We did come together we realized that there was only ruin to lay in the absolute as direct end of societal goals. Because we are mere mortals and of limited time and knowledge and insight, we dare not put forth that anything we do is perfect nor that perfection can be achieved. So, to come together We thus stated that so that generation upon generation who agree to live together can see what it means to have an ideal to work towards, but never, ever reach.

And as it was then, we give thanks for that wisdom to show us how we may lead good lives as Individuals and contribute to that Greater Good of being a People. Together. So that we may hold this precious gift of civilization and make it more so as to give us more Freedom.

More Liberty.

And know that perfection has not been reached, now nor ever.

For the brave and stalwart defenders of us all from hot and dusty climes today to jungles of yesteryear and beaches in far off lands and against all sorts of problems, let us all give them Thanks and Praise and Remembrance. And know how small our conceptions of Freedom and Liberty are compared to those sacrifices of yesteryear that helped us to better understand its worth to us.

Let us not diminish it and hand it to those that come after us not only undiminished, but just a bit more perfect for them. So that they can see our flaws and understand them and improve themselves by our poor example in our own lives. So that in some future generation we, too, will be castigated until they, also, remember that the gift of building a People is long and hard and never finished.

And they bow their heads and close their eyes and remember us, and give Thanks to those of us who are not worthy for holding fast to this greatest of all Dreams.

That Free People work towards freedom and strive to keep it whole.

For that is the true gift unending.

And we thank Our Forebearers for giving us such hard work to do, so that our own lives can have meaning now and forevermore.

Americans are not a perfect people, but we are called to a perfect mission. - Andrew Jackson