Holidays

Many Holidays in the United States and around the world have strayed far form their original intent, especially if the people celebrating them are not religious, like my self. Thanksgiving for instance was created as a coming together of different people to celebrate prosperity. Now Thanksgiving is celebrate mostly in groups of people that know each other well, like family and friends. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I believe that Holidays serve a new purpose in society today then they did 50, 100, or even 1000 years ago. An example of this would be what I believe to be the new purpose of Thanksgiving. Several hundred of years ago when Thanksgiving was just starting to be celebrated families in the United States where probably much closer, they spent more time working together because of a mostly agricultural economy, and in those times, it was difficult to survive on this continent with out a close group of people that could trust and depend on each other. Now days families do not spend nearly as much time together and it could be argued that many are not as close. What I think to be the new purpose of a holiday like Thanksgiving is to take the time for people to get in touch with the important people around them and the ones who are not, it is to reinforce the community that can be lost in modern society. No aspects of our society are left behind as it develops as a whole.