Yes, this portrait is the idea. Mr. Rockwell has informed us of the magnitude of the tradition and idealistic values which are primarily unacceptable or disregarded at this point in society. YET. That's the exact word I'm stuck on - YET. Don't we want a mildly romanticized family with a turkey on a platter, happy people, and ultimate one experience called Thanksgiving to enjoy?
Perhaps this is out of my own disappointment with myself or my family, but everyone is not on the same page about Thanksgiving. The process is there, the lip service to thanks is there, but the central idea around Thanksgiving just doesn't seem to be there. The last time I checked "Thanksgiving" was supposedly an event to express our thanks to God, YET as the Colonel likes to say, everyone was on an "I program." Perhaps the members of my family are simply too independent to all join their attention to enjoying a meal together, but I'm most skeptically beginning to believe that it is the art of conversation that is lost. Not quips or sermonettes, or opinion sagas but a real conversation among mutually present adults is missing. I'm not sure if it does exist in American homes, but I thought it was evident in this nice Rockwell image. I wanted to hear a viable communication among a less than perfect blend of adults this Thanksgiving, and all that returned was an awkward chorus of "I program" statements perhaps even myself - wanting a real conversation to miraculously appear.
The good news is that I have my first new year's resolution - to become a better conversationalist, to not be someone who can do nothing to stop the downward slide, to be a nice family member to have a conversation with, to be better at family festivities - including the conversations that happen during those Rockwell snapshots.
Overall, a nice matter for self-reflexive behavior. I'm quite thankful.
