Thanksgiving Dilemma

Thanksgiving is a week away, and probably most people are numbly and blindly doing what they've been taught: preparing to begin the ritual of buying and cooking the foods of their youth for a family get-together. There will be much overeating and alcohol drinking and a huge amount of turkey killing. Sadly. It is suffering for all involved.

And do I even need to point out that not all families enjoy and treasure this day of forced togetherness?

For those of us who are fruitarian or vegan, this day presents a real challenge. We do not condone and support the slaughtering and eating of turkeys and other animals. To us, it is a ridiculous, cruel, and unnecessary custom that has become outdated. The idea of joining together with our families to express thanks (really?!?!) by worshipping around the carcass of a large dead bird is unbearable. Such unkind disrespect for the sacredness of life.

The whole Thanksgiving tradition is yet another way that we are having the wool pulled over our eyes. Wake up, peeps! Don't be fooled! Business folks are marketing the heck out of it, just like Christmas. Especially the food industry. People are marching like lemmings or sheep to the grocery store to purchase huge amounts of harmful "food" to lovingly (?) feed their families. Hypnotized. Must buy dead frozen turkey. Must buy pumpkin pie. Must buy $$$$ worth of processed food products. Must buy LOTS OF STUFF. The TV told me to.

Most people will get sick from this gross meal. What is the point of it??? Every year, the same thing, whether you like it or not.

It's like the Emperor's New Clothes. Doesn't anyone question any of these things???

Oh, dear. Don't get me started.

Yes, it's quite a dilemma for those of us opposed to the whole idea in its' current form. But it is like trying to stop a tidal wave.

I like to imagine that some day I will invite people into my fruit orchard on Thanksgiving and we will sit under the trees and share an abundance of sweet juicy fruit and bask in the sunshine and feel profoundly grateful. We will spend the day in harmony with Nature. Share our fruit with animals and birds and all the critters. Generate love. Like a bunch of nutty hippies. I can't wait! Let's all become nutty hippies! It will be a lot more fun! Every day will be Thanksgiving. ♥

But for now, I will share with you what I do for holidays that require food participation. (I find a way to skip out on a lot of stuff, but it's hard to disappear on Thanksgiving and Christmas.) I bring a large fruit platter and it is always a big hit! The platter above has orange wedges, pineapple, pickling cucumber spears, campari tomatoes, and medjool dates. Look how fresh and alive and beautiful it is. At the very least, I have plenty of great food to enjoy myself.

And I want to show people that there is another way.

I recently read a quote from a guy named Prad that says so much:

"In the land of the blind and the dumb, warm fuzzies flow freely."

Yes, I see it everywhere, including in my own self and my own life. The process of waking up never ends, it seems.