Like many other holidays or celebrations, Thanksgiving has an aura of self-reflection behind it, for it encourages people to look around themselves and consider their lives, what they are thankful for, and what could be improved. So, dutifully, Americans on Thanksgiving usually at least give some thought to something that they are thankful for, usually citing either a basic need or an extravagant want that just came to mind. However, this is sometimes all that happens.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time for serious gratitude and outreach, so why is it that an overwhelming popular response is to ignore the meaning and dive into the food? In order to capture the true purpose of the celebration, Americans need to be more grateful of what they have as well as more observant of the plights occurring around them.

First, however, one must recall why Thanksgiving exists in the first place, and for that, one must think back to Plymouth. The story of Thanksgiving begins with the plight of the Pilgrims. Winter was upon them, they had landed in an unfamiliar area, supplies were low, times were tough, and people were suffering, for they did not know how to survive in this new land. According to the traditional story, however, an observant community of Native Americans noticed this and eventually decided to provide assistance in the form of knowledge, food, and community. Through the presence and the aid of their neighbors, the Pilgrims lived to see another season and came out with the expertise of the new land’s survival skills.

So, it must again be asked: how, with such a backstory, has American culture managed to ignore the spirit of Thanksgiving?

Perhaps the answer lies in the symptom of seemingly having it all, for throughout history and literature, those who had everything always wanted more. Enough was never enough. So here America stands as a developed country, and many of its affluent still want more, but for themselves. They fall victim to the folly of human selfishness and fail to see that they already have so much to be thankful for. What about the those in under developed countries, many of whom live in dangerous health conditions and live off of less than a dollar per day? What about the elder who is unable to care for himself and cannot pay his medical bills? What about the teenager who suffers daily from traumatic emotional pain and has no one to comfort her?

How dare we live in our arrogance and demand more when we are surrounded by those who have nothing?

This is why everybody must be observant of those around them and allow compassion to be shown. Thanksgiving’s time is nearly here, and it is a perfect opportunity for one to both show thankfulness for what they have and heart to those who need someone to care.