Thanksgiving, Atheist-Style

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Thanksgiving, Atheist-Style

By David Gleeson
Nov. 23, 2005

Ah, turkey day. A chance to reunite with people we purposely avoid the other 364 days of the year. The official start of the madcap holiday shopping season. And an opportunity to give thanks for the fortunes bestowed upon us during the year.

Whoa, you say. How exactly does an atheist give thanks? To whom or what is this thanks directed? How does a person who does not believe in God or gods express his/her gratitude for good tidings?

I was once asked by an incredulous believer, "What do you thank, your lucky stars?" It's a valid question, particularly this time of year. Implicit in saying "thanks" is the fact that you're directing that word at someone or something. If I were to say, "I'm thankful for ...", am I being a hypocrite for thanking someone I don't believe in?

The answer is no, not really. About the worst thing you can say is that I'm guilty of employing a worn-out cliche. The problem lies mostly in our inadequate vocabulary. I know of no word or saying that is unambiguously understood to mean, "I am one lucky SOB and here's why."

So, I choose my words carefully on Thanksgiving. My wife's family has a tradition of going around the table and having everyone say what they're thankful for this year. (I'm guessing we're not alone in doing this.) When it comes around to my turn, I'm careful not to begin in the traditional way. Instead of "I'm thankful for ..." or "I'm grateful for ...", what usually comes out is, "I'm fortunate to have ..." or something similar. Good luck, yes. Something that deserves a "thank you" to some unseen entity? No.

Anyway, I've always found it incredibly arrogant to give thanks. "I'm thankful for ..." strikes me as just another way of saying, "Thanks, God, for shining your light on me and not the poor unfortunate slob next to me." It's like the family of the lone plane crash survivor praising God for a miracle in saving their loved one. Well, that's swell, but what about the families of the other 168 less-fortunate passengers whose bodies were blown apart at impact and burned beyond recognition? Isn't the survivor's family saying, in effect, "Thanks, God, for saving OUR loved one while burning EVERYONE ELSE to a crisp"? That's what it sounds like to me.

I have no illusions about this life I lead. I am, indeed, one lucky SOB. I have a good job, a wonderful family, a comfortable existence. I don't want for anything. No one I care about is battling a life-threatening illness, and I don't have to wonder where my next meal is coming from. My life is bursting at the seams with good fortune, at least for now. But give thanks for it? How could I do that, knowing that millions of children will starve to death this year in Africa? How incredibly arrogant it would be of me to presume that someone, or something, favored my life over someone else's, particularly someone who is so much more deserving of the good fortune than I.

No. If I know one thing, it's this: there is no heavenly father watching down on us, bestowing random favors on people who don't deserve them, while ignoring those who do. I am an incredibly lucky person, but other than those aforementioned "lucky stars", there's nothing to say thanks to. And even if I believed there was, I would hold back. To give thanks for your own good fortune is incredibly insensitive in the face of so much worldly misfortune and suffering.

So, this year, do what I do. Give thanks, atheist-style. Humbly acknowledge, preferably in private, how lucky you are, and then get busy trying to make the world a bit better of a place for those less fortunate, and more deserving, than you.

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About the author: David Gleeson is an aerospace engineer and skeptic of all things supernatural. He maintains a website of opinion pieces at: http://homepage.mac.com/coskeptic/blog/index.html

Email: coskeptic@mac.com

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