Black Thursday

The definition of materialism is a preoccupation on the material world, rather than intellectual or spiritual concepts.

When I first moved to Europe, I was inconvenienced that retail stores would close during the week at 6 p.m. A year before my arrival, a law had gone into effect that made Thursdays a day in which retail establishments remained open until 8 p.m. Weekend hours were Saturdays from 9-1, and Sundays were closed, since it was a day of rest.

Adjusting to this new schedule I began to see things in a new light; people that worked in retail were treated with respect, not worked as slaves. With everything closed at the same time, it meant people could have leisure time together. Rather than seeing a family going to the mall on Sundays, I saw family outings at the park on bikes, including a grandmother pedaling her cruiser, or families hiking, or at the public swimming pools, physical activities at no cost took precedence. But then again, Europeans choose community over convenience and clearly do things differently from us. Yet their lives seemed in many ways richer and fuller. I know mine was. Additionally, many of the museums were free on Sundays which allowed an opportunity to learn about art and develop the mind and soul.

There's something inherently wrong with American businesses open and consumers shopping on Thanksgiving day. It's sick, and a moral degradation. It robs us of the fundamental issue of the holiday- gratitude and repose.  The Pilgrims who were fleeing persecution and created Thanksgiving day have been dishonored by advertisers and greedy retailers whose message is consumption over appreciation as the road to fulfillment.