Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that is quite understandable. We give thanks for many things in our lives and beyond. And it is universal; it doesn’t, for example, depend on a particular religious faith. But, I am going to get started with a religious allusion.
The bible said, in relationship to the crucification of Jesus Christ, that religious leaders at the crucification mocked him saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one.” Luke: 23:35. The faithful say God’s plan resulted in him returning on the “third day.”
“Save himself”—how about our saving ourselves? I am in my eighth decade and have rarely seen America more fragmented. I have lived through wars and assassinations and can put today’s lack of a unifying thread in context. It’s worse. Do we need to be attacked to be more unified?
Thanksgiving, the word, invites for me a summing up. Have there been unwelcome moments in 2025? Most certainly. Topping the list would be the death of friends. More later. A close second would be our political distemper.
Most unfortunately: the person who leads one of our aspirations—united states— has chosen division. On the side of hope, I believe his stance will turn out to be a hinge moment—an increased appreciation for the hope that is the hinge of unity. If unity is ineffectual, we are left with what one writer called, “the Serengeti”, it’s prey/predator reality. I hope that this Thanksgiving we will see the beginning of a revival.
The America we know evolved from an aspirational revolution. In a sense, one of hope. The immigrants that first came to America were looking for opportunity. Many were fleeing division among classes. They didn’t want to be penalized because they were not “well bred” and ultimately their generational offspring fought a war and then composed the words: “all men are created equal”. They meant should have equal opportunity.
But, as we know, equal opportunity is not easy. Often political division results from a sense that American law and commerce is weighted toward favored groups who emerge and lock in their advantage. Elon Musk holds out for a trillion dollar pay package. Homes sell for tens of millions while many have to work overtime to afford to pay rent. Or, as inflation bites, the privileged pay thousands to buy white truffles by the pound.
I wonder, what if sitting around the Thanksgiving table somebody asked, “have we abandoned unifying principles and realities that held us together?”
To this question I would turn to a universal principle: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—it is one of the most widely shared moral principles across human civilizations. It appears in some form in nearly every major religious and philosophical tradition. Right now it is a revolutionary principle and we need a revolution—a revolution that must be led outside the corridors of power.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Betsi Shays
Betsi Shays died recently. She and her husband Chris were good friends and my wife and I have shared the family’s grief. As I think about Thanksgiving, I want to share this column about Betsi from the Greenwich Sentinel. Chris had been a Member of Congress from Connecticut.
https://www.greenwichsentinel.com/2025/11/14/editorial-remembering-betsi-shays/
Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.
