Thanksgiving, Sarah Palin, and Broken Clocks
The closer we get to Thanksgiving the more we reach out to capture the dream of a simpler time, a more gentle time. Regardless of age, there is a sense of nostalgia connected with this holiday. Remember the famous Norman Rockwell painting; the one of a happy family ready to dig into the plumpest hormone-free turkey with all the bells and whistles for a perfect meal; this touches a deep childhood yearning for safety and contentment. We all want this to be OUR family; except it never is!
The newer rendition of the Rockwell Thanksgiving is a similar table with family members in more modern garb, each with a cell phone to an ear as they hope to get through the meal without overt dissension.
Times change and we need to change with them. Of course we carry memories of times past. Maybe family stories, you know, the kind about going through the snow to grandmother’s house. Perhaps it’s a snippet of a “Leave it to Beaver” episode where problems are always resolved before the program ends.
Enter Sarah Palin. Her new book “America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag” is perfectly timed for us to get in touch with what really matters. Palin’s rhetoric is about the way it was. Her call to action is to look toward the future through the rear view mirror. The reviews show that her tendency to polarize is alive and well. Sadly, we are then left with that childish thought that change is bad, sameness is good. We stay stuck in patterns from the past that no longer fit the needs of today.
Becoming pattern aware is the work of 21st Century leaders. Yes, we need to look back and learn from history so that we do not repeat the same mistakes. Yes the past is the foundation for us to stand on as we are hurled through the present into the future at enormous speed of change.
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