Thanksgiving and Black Friday: Shifting from Gratitude to Greed

: By Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

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Original images by neo tam and by SauLustig.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday: Shifting from Gratitude to Greed?

by Marie T. Russell.

As I write this on what is in the USA Thanks-Giving Day (which I spell with a hyphen to emphasize the action of giving thanks) I reflect on the dichotemy of these two particular "holidays": Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Yes, I know Black Friday is not a holiday, but it bears a lot of power in its allure, thus it seems like it has the weight of a holiday. Yet, these two days, coming one right after the other, are polar opposites. How so?

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for our blessings, whether in material things or in the presence of loved ones in our life. It is about acknowledging the blessings in our world, in the people who are dear to us, and in the abundance of Love and Life.

Yet many Thanksgiving gatherings are rankled with old personal grudges, and perhaps newer political ones. Certain family members refuse to speak to each other, or if they do, do so sarcastically or with the intention to hurt. And yes I know that not all families are like this, but I also know that as human beings, we seem to have difficulty letting go of past hurts and resentments. Those old remembrances seep into our daily interactions and thoughts, whether it is Thanks-Giving Day or not.

And Then Comes Black Friday

And so, the very next day after our supposedly being grateful for the abundance that is in our life, we launch into Black Friday which is the epitome of greed and lack. Lack you say? Yes, because Black Friday seems to be screaming at us: "you need more, you don't have enough, you need bigger, newer, different... you don't have enough right now... Quick, come and buy more."

We are enticed by visions of "saving money" because of discounted prices. Yet, are we saving when we are buying things we might not really need? Or are we hurting not only our budget, but the Planet by contributing to overconsuming products that will either relegate something we currently own to the trash heap, and will eventually end up on the trash pile themselves.

On Black Friday (and for the week prior and sometimes the week following) people run to buy things at "discounted" prices. maybe because they think they can't afford them otherwise - or maybe because, deep-down, they know it is wasteful to purchase these things and thus feel better when paying less for them. Perhaps they are aware on some level that the purchase of these things is an unneeded extravagance (or waste) and they somehow can justify it by "saving money" by paying a lower price for it. Or perhaps they are simply victims to the allure of "buy more, buy now, be happy" that is propagandized by the adepts of capitalism.

Bi-polar Situation: Gratitude and Greed

So we are in a bi-polar situation. On the one day we are peacefully (hopefully) grateful for everything we have, and on the next we are rushing around (in person or online) trying to get more and more and more... This contradicts the meaning of Thanksgiving which is to be grateful for what we have, as opposed to thinking that we need to run out and accumulate more.

When reflected upon, this reveals a whole new perspective. The energy of greed and competition and sometimes even lack that fills Black Friday would be an energy that "feeds" not Love, but disharmony and even the destruction of the Planet through overconsumption. Truly the forces of Good and Evil at play.

There has been so much to show that we are polluting the Earth with our garbage: mountains of landfill exist reeking out methane; islands of plastic garbage afloat in the oceans entrapping fish and other sea creatures in their nets; rivers are filled with effluent from factories that manufacture "toys" to satisfy our greed and need for more and more.

And not only are we polluting our planet but we are polluting our bodies with the toxins in the air, food and water. Even our body's blood now contains the presence of nanoparticles attaching themselves to the plaque in human blood leading to the possibility of blockages, toxic reactions, as well as inflammation.

And with food as well, we are coaxed into eating more, and mostly more salt, more oily foods, more processed denatured foods. We thus also pollute our bodies by our overconsumption of sugary and highly-processed foods. All of this is part of the problem of greed in humanity... greed to possess things and greet to eat more than what is necessary and/or healthy for us.

Can We Just Be Grateful for What We Have?

I'm sure that wiser minds than mine have studied the causes of humanity's greed and need for more of the bigger, better, newer gadgets, for the new fashions, the "new and improved" version of a product. My perspective on the situation is that because we do not love and accept ourselves as we are, and because we feel that we need "improvement" of ourselves and our life in order to be happy, we thus think that buying more stuff will help our situation.

Yet, as most of us have experienced, the new gadgets (TV, dress, car, etc.) that we think will bring us happiness, do... but oh, so fleetingly. After a time, sometimes a very short time, the newness wears off, and the happiness of its presence wears off, and there we are again craving a new thing to fill that need for instant gratification that we think will bring us happiness.

Yet true happiness, I believe, comes from loving who we are and where we are and who we are with. And that doesn't mean that those things won't change, but it means that in the present moment we are at peace with what is... Of course those things will change since change is the nature of life itself, but constantly craving for something we don't have, or believing that something we don't have is the key to our happiness is a delusion that leads to unhappiness.

So this Thanks-giving Day and particularly on Black Friday (and all "shopping days" to come), let us remember the truth of our true needs: Love and Inner Peace. Those are the two things that will bring us lasting joy and happiness. The new gadget or the new shoes will soon no longer be new, even the new relationship will no longer have the "honeymoon" glow. What remains is the inner core of who you are: Love, Joy, and Peace.

And Love and Peace are never for sale on Black Friday or on any other day. They are always free and available in abundance starting within our own heart and from the heart of Love itself.

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About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.

Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com

Article Recap:

Marie T. Russell's article contrasts the deep-seated gratitude associated with Thanksgiving with the rampant consumerism epitomized by Black Friday. It delves into how these two consecutive days encapsulate the broader cultural shift from appreciating what we have to perpetually seeking more. The piece challenges readers to reflect on the true sources of happiness and the impact of consumerism on our planet and personal well-being.

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Thanks for visiting InnerSelf.com, where there are 20,000+ life-altering articles promoting "New Attitudes and New Possibilities." All articles are translated into 30+ languages. Subscribe to InnerSelf Magazine, published weekly, and Marie T Russell's Daily Inspiration. InnerSelf Magazine has been published since 1985.